Rise
by DarkHououmon
Summary: Sequel to Fall. Therizino is defeated. The Lyoko Gang thought that things would return to normal. But they are proven wrong when XANA's monsters start getting stronger and Odd starts to exhibit unusual behavior.
1. Prologue

The landscape was barren, save for a few broken down buildings set far apart from each other. The skies overhead were clear, bright blue with a shining sun and white clouds. This was in eerie contrast to the blackened, charred ground. Dark smoke rose from the buildings, as if something had just recently blown up.

There were no signs of life. No animal, large or small, nor any people. It was just devoid of life. There was no sound except for an occasional wisp of the wind blowing through. All the plants were dead, turned brown and broken apart. It looked like hell picked a fight with this place, and had won.

Something was moving through, something fast. Dark shapes moved through the buildings like shadows, snaking their way around. The blobs appeared to be chasing something. The shape split off into three and headed between two ruined buildings. The three black blobs darted off in opposite directions, converging around one particular spot.

The shapes were headed towards a boy. The boy, at first, was obscured, only vaguely resembling a person. He was running for his life, whimpering as his feet bounded the cracked ground. The shapes were swerving around him, getting closer to grabbing him.

The boy attempted no call of help. There was no one around to help him. He pushed himself harder, the wind flapping against his tattered clothes and bruised body. His efforts to get away were all in vain. His foot caught on a raised piece of dirt and he fell down, smacking his face hard against the rock surface.

His whimpering increasing, he twisted himself onto his back and began to crawl away from the shapes on his hands and knees. The kid was still obscured by shadow. The creatures could see him nonetheless and they closed in on him. The creatures covered his body, turning into black goop, and the boy let out a wild scream of pain.

**sss**

"Yah!"

Odd screamed and bolted awake in his sleep. His face was covered in sweat. His eyes went wide and his hands were trembling. He breathed in and out rapidly, trying to calm himself down. 'It was just a dream...it was just a dream...' He told himself.

He looked over at the clock. It was five in the morning. He looked over at Ulrich and sighed with relief that he was still asleep. A part of him was grateful for those earplugs. He didn't want to wake up Ulrich and have to explain to him the nightmare that he had. He doubted Ulrich would want to hear about it anyway. Everyone gets nightmares once in a while. They weren't any big deal.

Except there was something off about this dream he was having. He wasn't dwelling on how realistic it was. Most people who have nightmares believe them to be all too real. No, something else was bothering him about the dream.

He's been having it every other night. He wasn't sure if he ever heard of such a thing. He's heard of recurring nightmares, but they were usually every night. He's never heard of a nightmare that only comes once every other night. And the dream was almost always the same, with little details changing.

At first, there was no boy in the dream, just shadows moving around. Then over time, something came into view, something the monsters were chasing. And in each dream, the detail gets clearer, more vivid. The boy becomes more visible, and the more he does so, the more Odd starts to recognize him. He suspected that after the next couple times he has the dream, the boy will be in full view and he could finally identify him.

Why would he care who the boy in the dream was? It was just a dream, or rather nightmare. But the nightmare had an unsettling feeling about it. It was almost foreboding, as if it were trying to tell him something. He thought about telling his friends, but they would brush it off as just regular nightmares. Disturbing, but regular nonetheless.

It had been five months since they defeated Therizino. The memory of her death still clings to him to this day. He had wanted there to be away to return to Therizino her humanity. Jeremie had told him that was impossible. Whatever XANA did to create her, it destroyed any hope of reviving whoever Therizino really was. She was thoroughly turned into a monster and there was no going back. Odd had eventually made peace, for the most part, with what happened.

The dreams started occurring exactly three months later, on the three month 'anniversary', if one could even call it that, of Therizino's demise. He can't help but feel the dreams are related to Therizino, perhaps based on his fear he had for her when she was still around. The blob monsters looked just like the ones that almost killed him. There had to be a reason he was having these dreams all of a sudden.

Odd laid back down on his bed. He needed to get some sleep. Tomorrow was a new day and he knew he'd feel better once it was morning. So far, his screaming at night hadn't woken up Ulrich, so he was safe from having to tell anyone about the dreams.

But he knew, sooner or later, they would find out. And if he explained it to them, would they take him seriously or just brush it off?


	2. Strange Happenings

"Laser Arrow!" Odd shouted as he fired an arrowhead at a Block while jumping in the air. He landed a few feet away as the arrow hit the Block in its XANA eye, destroying it.

Behind him, a group of Krabs were taking on Ulrich. They fired their beams simultaneously, converging together into one powerful blast of energy. Ulrich waited until the last second before jumping out of the way. He jumped on top of one of the Krabs and stabbed its vulnerable spot. The Krab exploded and he landed on the ground.

The second Krab knocked him back with its leg, making him lose his swords, which skidded across the ground and came to a stop. The Krab pinned him down with its pointed limb. Ulrich tried to get his swords but they were too far for him to reach.

Before the Krab could finish him off, a fan sailed through the air and sliced into its back. With the Krab destroyed, Ulrich climbed to his feet. He looked over and gave a smile to his rescuer. Yumi grabbed her fan as it flew back towards her. She smirked in Ulrich's direction.

"I guess this time you were the damsel in distress." Yumi joked, giving him a wink.

Ulrich shook his head. "Don't remind me okay?" He sounded upset, but the truth was he was grateful for the help. It just felt a little awkward to have to be the rescued instead of the rescuer.

Aelita was busy running towards the tower. It was straight ahead of her. The others were distracting the monsters the best they could. She wasn't too worried if she ran into a monster, since she could defend herself now, unlike during the early missions where she could only hide from the monsters or create landscapes as a defense.

Up ahead, she could see a couple of Krankrelats show up. They saw her immediately and began firing. She jumped out of the way and tossed a blast of pink energy at them, destroying the first one instantly. The other two looked at each other, as if contemplating what happened, and began firing at her again.

A shot hit Aelita in the shoulder and she jumped back. She held the area as if she were trying to stop some invisible bleeding. She glared at the two Krankrelats. She sent out another shot and destroyed the second one. Now only one remained. She smiled as she realized this wouldn't take too long. Krankrelats were always the weakest of XANA's monsters. A part of her wondered why XANA even bothered sending them out.

"Energy Field." She said softly as she raised her hand and aimed it at the last Krankrelat. The pink energy glowed in her palm. She was about to fire it when something hit her in the back. She fell to the ground. She looked up and saw a pair of Hornets firing at her.

She charged up another attack and fired it at one of the Hornets. As she was preparing to fire at the second one, the Krankrelat shot her in the leg. She staggered forward and looked behind her. The Krankrelat was wobbling towards her, its red lense glowing as it prepared for a second attack.

"Aelita! You're down to forty life points!" Jeremie's worried voice sounded out in the sky. "And there's more Hornets on their way!"

Just as he said this, a group of three more Hornets came flying towards Aelita. Their stingers were poised, the tips glowing. Before they had a chance to fire, a blur of purple flashed in the air, a small projectile shot out, and one of them exploded. The remaining two Hornets of the group turned their attention to the source of the attack.

Odd landed on the ground on all fours, his tail swishing from side to side. He gave a grin over to Aelita and said, "I'll keep them distracted! You head to the tower, Aelita!"

She nodded and made a run towards the tower. The Hornets and one Krankrelat had turned their attention to Odd. She knew the feline warrior could handle them easily, and Ulrich and Yumi were nearby, in case Odd needed some help.

Aelita stopped briefly and looked up at the tower. She saw the swirling red glow, the indication that XANA is controlling this tower. She entered it, going through the tower's surface as if it didn't even exist. She walked across the platform. It lit up bit by bit until she reached its center.

A pale blue glow surrounded her and she was lifted into the air. On the higher platform, she walked up to its center as well. A console popped up. She pressed her hand against it and it displayed her name and prompted for her input. She entered the Lyoko code.

"Tower deactivated." She said calmly as the data around her shot down the cylinder tube, briefly cloaking the inside with darkness as the deed went into effect.

Outside the tower, Ulrich, Yumi, and Odd were taking care of the rest of the monsters that XANA had summoned. Yumi tossed her fan at a Hornet. It dodged and fired a shot at her, hitting her in the chest. It had no time for a second attack. The fan struck it and it exploded.

One Hornet moved in to attack behind her. Ulrich leaped towards it and brought his sword down on it, destroying it before it could launch its attack. The final Hornet dodged an attack from Yumi, this time managing to avoid the fan's return trip. It fired at Yumi and she was divirtualized. Ulrich readied his sword, but Odd took care of the Hornet for him.

Now all there was left was the Krankrelat. It stood next to a rock, staring at them. It seemed confused as to what it should do. It didn't stay in this state for long. It fired in their direction, missing them both by centimeters.

"Just one more bad boy to take out." Odd said. He aimed his fist in the direction of the Krankrelat. He took careful aim, and then shouted, "Laser Arrow!"

The arrowhead flew straight towards the monster. It hit it dead center in its XANA eye. The monster staggered for a few seconds as white light shined out of the mark. But instead of exploding, the broken part of its body sealed right up again and the Krankrelat continued to hike towards them.

"Whu..what..?" Odd was stunned.

"Looks like you missed." Ulrich said, laying one of his swords on his shoulder, the blade pointing backwards. "I guess this means you'll have to work on your aim." He said jokingly.

Odd glared at him. "Oh shut up! I hit it dead on!"

"The walking Krankrelat says otherwise." Ulrich said before rushing over to the final monster. He held his sword to the side, tensing up his arm for the attack. When he got close enough, he thrust it through the Eye Of XANA. This time, the monster went down. Ulrich turned to Odd. "See? That's how it's done."

Odd folded his arms tightly against his chest. "Show off." His tail twitched irritability. He couldn't understand it. How did his attack fail but Ulrich's didn't?

"We're ready to come back in, Jeremie!" Ulrich shouted.

"Okay, I'm bringing you in." Jeremie said.

**sss**

Jeremie stared at Odd in disbelief. He gestured with his hands to stop Odd from talking, trying to comprehend what he just said. "Okay okay okay..what happened?"

Ulrich grinned in Odd's direction. "He's just mad because he totally in the zone today."

Odd ignored him. "I fired at the Krankrelat and it hit the thing dead center. It was about to explode, but..." He raised his hands up to emphasize his point. "It just healed right up! Just like that! It was like nothing happened!"

Jeremie was stunned by this. He hadn't seen this sort of thing in XANA's monsters before. In the past, always, XANA's monsters explode when their Eye Of XANA was cut open. What Odd told him didn't seem possible. He took up Ulrich's theory. "Are you sure you hit it?"

"Yes!" Odd cried. "Why don't you believe me?"

"It just sounds too crazy." Yumi said.

"If XANA were capable of programming his monsters to do that," Aelita said, "then wouldn't you think he would have done so much earlier? Why start now?"

Odd couldn't believe it. "Nice to know you got my back, girls." He said sarcastically.

"Face it, Odd. You missed." Ulrich said.

"I did not! You were there! You saw it hit the center!" Odd said to him, his voice tinged with desperation.

Ulrich shook his head. "Your body was in the way. I couldn't see it. So for all I know.." Ulrich pushed a finger against Odd's shoulder. "You missed and now you're just being a sore loser about it." Odd pushed Ulrich's finger away.

Jeremie decided to stop the fight before it continued. He clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "As much as I agree there is little reason to believe XANA's monsters can heal their weak spots," He looked at everyone one at a time before he continued, "I think we should give Odd the benefit of the doubt and assume that he's telling the truth. I will run some tests on the supercomputer and see what I can find out."

Odd smiled victoriously. "Nice to see someone around here believes me!"

"Whatever, Odd." Ulrich said, rolling his eyes.


	3. Not Average Monster

The next day, Jeremie decided to talk to his friends about what he discovered. He waited until it was lunchtime, when they all would be in the same room together. The information he found was startling, to say the least. Telling them is the easy part. Doing something about it would be the hard part.

After everyone had gotten their food and sat at the table, Jeremie prepared to explain what he found. He didn't get a word in, not yet.

"So, Jeremie." Yumi said. "What did you find out?"

"Anything we need to worry about?" Aelita asked.

Jeremie waited to see if anyone else had any questions. When it continued to be quiet, he decided to start explaining before he was interrupted. "Well it was a good thing I decided to run those tests." He fiddled around with his food. "It turns out there was something wrong with that Krankrelat. I am hoping it was just an isolated incident."

Odd grinned a triumphant smile at this. Although he was tempted to brag about how right he was, he didn't get a word in edgewise. A smack and glare from Ulrich told him to shut up about it. Instead, Odd asked, "Well, what did the supercomputer say?"

Jeremie paused for a moment. "According to the data, I was able to find out that the Krankrelat, well that one Krankrelat, had somehow acquired a healing ability. I haven't figured anything else out for certain, but there were some hints that it is a limited ability." After he saw the confused looks of the others, he went on, "By that, I mean it can only heal a certain amount of life points and it can only use this heal ability maybe once or twice every ten or fifteen minutes."

"So it's no big deal, right?" Odd asked, wearing his smile again. "We just blast them before they have a chance to recuperate. Doesn't seem so hard."

"It's not that simple, Odd." Jeremie set down his fork and rubbed his forehead. "I am worried that this ability will not only grow and enhance, but it will spread to the other monsters. If it does..."

Aelita's eyes widened in realization. "It will be almost impossible to take down XANA's monsters."

Jeremie nodded. "Not unless we find a way around this healing factor. But that will take me weeks, no months, to figure out. I would need to better understand their source code."

Silence fell on the group as they let the information sink in. It was a worrying thought that XANA's monsters would be getting stronger. The weak spot was the sure fire way to kill the monsters. Without it, they might as well be hitting rocks against a steel wall. It couldn't be done. The only comforting thing they learned is that the power may be limited, which would give them a window of opportunity to kill them.

But what if Jeremie's grave prediction came true and XANA improved upon it? What if the monsters gained the power to heal at any time? Such a thought was frightening. It would change their whole strategy on Lyoko. If they couldn't kill any monsters, they would need to develop stealth capabilities. Would they have time before XANA activated a tower and unleashed some unspeakable threat in the real world?

"Hey Ulrich dear!" Sissi walked up to them, holding her tray of food.

This prompted a groan from Ulrich. "Why can't you leave me alone for one day, Sissi?"

Sissi just continued smiling. "I just wanted to ask you..."

Ulrich glared at her. "For the last time, no! I'm not going with you!"

"But everyone will be there!" Sissi protested.

Before she could get another word out, Odd waggled his finger. "Now, now, Sissy. Why would Ulrich want to go with you? After all you are already taken. Kiwi would..."

"Shut up, Odd!" Sissi hissed at him. "At least my eyes aren't hideously deformed!"

Odd froze at what she said. It took him a few seconds to come up with a comeback to wipe the smile off her face. "At least I look good with heterochromatic eyes! If you had them, everyone would be staying away from you!"

"You know very well that..." Sissi started to retort, but Ulrich interrupted her.

"Sissi, leave us alone before you give us all migraines." Ulrich hissed at Sissi. As she humphed and walked away, he turned to Odd. "Are you okay? You looked..shocked for a moment."

Odd smiled broadly at him. "Never better! I was just working on what to say to drive her away. Nice you had my back up there pal!" He gave a chuckle. "She didn't stand a chance!"

"Uh huh.." Ulrich said before returning to eating.

Odd would never admit it, but sometimes his blue eye did bother him. Not a lot of people really joked about it, and he wasn't lying when he told the others he felt a different colored eye suited him. But sometimes, he hated his blue eye, not because of what people like Sissy told him, but because of what the eye represented, the memories it held.

Sissi's comment only reminded him of that. The blue eye was a reminder of his struggles against Therizino. While he told the others he was over it, sometimes, Therizino still bothered him. Sometimes, he would imagine he sees something and believe it was her work. Sometimes, he would have realistic nightmares about her. The worst dreams he has with her involved ones he cannot even tell were real or not, like one where Therizino told him she killed one of his sisters.

Now he knew that none of his sisters were dead, but waking up from the nightmare, it felt like it was. He had a strong feeling of loss. It was unrelenting. He spent a few minutes crying before he finally caved in, called his parents, and asked if everything was all right with the family. He was immensely relieved that everything was fine, but he couldn't shake the negative feeling that overtook him earlier.

The blue eye, to Odd, represented imprisonment and freedom. He both loved and hated it. A part of him wished that his eye returned to dark brown like how it was before. Then, he wouldn't be reminded of the torture he had to go through a couple months ago.

"So Jeremie, what did you say about the monsters' source codes?" Yumi asked, trying to get them back at the subject at hand. "Something about we need to analyze them?"

"I have to analyze them, yes." Jeremie swallowed a piece of food before continuing, "But it won't be easy. I need to come up with a way to extract the code, some new weapon of sorts. And one of you will be the guinea pig to test it out."

"Well we better get to work on it after school." Aelita said.

Jeremie didn't argue with her. He didn't want her to lose any sleep over this. He was used to staying up late thanks to their struggles with XANA. He felt bad when he dragged Aelita into it. This time, he wouldn't mind the company. Two sets of eyes were better than one. And he knew arguing with her was pointless. She had an impressive winning streak with him.

"Well who volunteers to be the guinea pig?" Odd asks in a cheerful tone. He nudged Ulrich. "I volunteer you!"

"Cut it out, Odd." Ulrich pushed Odd away. "I'm not doing it, not after what happened the last time."

"You didn't think it was cool being Kiwi?" Odd smirked.

"No!" Ulrich snapped at him. "Why don't you volunteer yourself? You're always taking risks. You'd be perfect!"

"Maybe I will!" Odd declared. The smile never faltered, but his eyes had an increased intensity in them.

"Thanks for volunteering Odd!" Jeremie said. Odd stammered and tried to say something. Jeremie just folded his arms and smiled at him. "Too late, Odd. You already said you would do it."

"I did not I..." Odd gave up. "Okay I'll do it. How bad could it be anyway?"

"Don't jinx it, Odd." Ulrich warned him as it was time to return to class.


	4. Drain Claw

It had taken longer than expected. About a week passed before Jeremie could finish a program for Odd to use. The new power would give Odd the ability to extent his cat claws further, creating a series of long, thin, needle sharp weapons. The extended claws were hollow on the inside, allowing him to drain his opponent of their source code, which would kill them in the process.

Odd, although still unhappy about being a guinea pig, was excited about the new attack. As much as he loved his Laser Arrows, it was nice to have another form of attack. He wanted to try out the weapon right away, but Jeremie wanted to wait until they located a XANA monster with the healing powers.

And this delayed them even more. For three days since he created the Drain Claw, what he called Odd's new weapon, they had searched Lyoko for such a monster. In each sector, they looked, fighting any monster they see in hopes of finding one that could resist their attacks. When they continued to find none, they began to wonder if the Krankrelat really was a glitch after all.

This frustrated Jeremie. He didn't want to have created the program for nothing. He had no use for XANA's monsters' codes. Not anytime soon anyway. And he didn't know yet how to drain the codes from the claws, so Odd would eventually not be able to use the Drain Claw move at all.

But he was also a little happy. His anxiety went down a peg. This may be one less thing to worry about. It was comforting to know that maybe XANA isn't upgrading his monsters after all. After this last scouting mission, he thought about just calling it quits and forgetting the whole thing.

Then he heard Yumi shout, "We found one!"

He had never heard Yumi sound so excited for a XANA monster before. Jeremie looked at the screen. In front of his friends, who were located in the Desert Sector, was a Block. He smiled. At least it was an easy monster, and it was Odd's favorite target. The Block appeared to be alone, which wasn't surprising because XANA rarely spawned monsters when a tower was not activated. He sensed that XANA would send more monsters soon, so Odd would have to hurry.

"Get the deed done, Odd, before XANA brings more guests." Jeremie told him.

"Here I go!" He could hear Odd say.

Odd raced across the land on his four limbs. His friends were behind him. They followed him but kept a distance away, giving him more room to maneuver. The Block began to fire. In his usual feline style, Odd jumped in the air and twisted his body to avoid getting hit. When he got close enough, he was about to strike when the Block shot him and he fell back.

He groaned and shook his head. The beam was more powerful than he remembered. Or was he just imagining it? He got back to his feet and ran to the Block. He jumped and landed on its head. The monster began rotating its hide in a constant circle, trying to locate its target. Odd hung on, though he felt his stomach start to churn as the monster spun faster.

Then the monster did something he hadn't seen it do before. It rotated its head upwards. Odd slipped and grabbed on, but now he was laying straight across one of the eyes. It glowed and before he could react, he was shot again. His body flew through the air. He twisted his body until he was able to land on his feet.

The Block began to fire a beam at him. Odd prepared to dodge it. Then he heard a loud clunk sound. He stood up and he saw that Yumi had driven her fan into the monster. Of course it didn't kill it, but it caused the monster to turn its attention on her, giving Odd some time to make his move.

Ulrich and Aelita stared at each other. They were sent only to keep other monsters busy, not to fight the 'improved' monster. Jeremie made it quite clear that they weren't to interfere with the fight between Odd and the monster. Yumi's move was very risky. They hoped that Odd would be able to drain the codes despite Yumi having used an attack on it already.

Odd was thinking the same thing, but he didn't dwell on it. He dashed towards the monster while it had its attention on Yumi. He concentrated on activating his claws. He felt them extend to three times their original length. He climbed onto two legs and ran. The extra long claws made it too hard to run on all fours.

He narrowed his eyes as he approached the Block. The monster was too busy firing at Yumi, who barely dodged the blows, to worry about him. Odd stopped in front of the monster and pulled his arm back. "Drain Claw!" He shouted as he thrust his arm forward.

He stuck his right paw against the monster. The claws went through through its eye, like a hot knife through butter. It was practically effortless. Odd could see something shimmering blue in his claws. It must be the source code. He felt a strange sensation as the codes filled up his claws, changing them to a dark blue color.

As the codes were drained, the monster started to drain of color. It became paler and paler by the second. Its body started to wither like a rotten plant. Cracks spread throughout its body. The top of its 'head' started to sink down, as if it were becoming a hollow shell.

The sight of this was disturbing to the Lyoko Warriors. Aelita turned her head away. Yumi had a hand over her mouth. Ulrich stared with wide eyes in morbid wonder. Even though the Block was an enemy, they couldn't help but feel sorry as it was slowly drained of its source code. It was a slow and painful death, no different than letting a fellow human bleed out slowly.

Odd's reaction was worse. He was feeling nauseous by the sight of what he was doing. He wanted to pull his hand out, but the deed had to be done. He felt his claws continue to fill. Even though it looked like they would burst, they continued to allow more fluid into them. Before him, the Block was so deformed it barely resembled one anymore.

Finally it was over. The monster fell to its side. It looked like a collapsed box. It was almost like it could be pried open like it were a delivery package. Odd looked at his dark blue, nearly pitch black, claws. He looked back at the monster. It burst into particles of data and disappeared. This relieved him and the others. At least they didn't have to look at that nightmarish thing again.

Odd said in a slightly shaky voice, "Okay, Jeremie, I..I got the source code."

"Great Odd!" Jeremie said, sounding happy.

'Of course he's happy. He didn't witness this thing slowly die like that.' Odd growled in his head. He looked at the others and, while they said nothing, they seemed to agree that Jeremie wouldn't sound too happy if he had seen what they did.

"Let's get out of here before more monsters show up." Aelita said, not wanting to witness another Drain Claw event. The others nodded in agreement.

Odd stared at his code filled paw, shuddering slightly. He wasn't sure if he was too comfortable with this upgrade anymore. He felt strange when he was using it. There was an almost...pleasurable feeling as he drained the monster of its life force, and that scared him. It was like an unknown side of him was loving this. He shook the feeling away.

Having shaken the disturbed feeling away, Odd gave his trademark smile and did a thumbs up. "Okay, Einstein. Ready when you are!"

With that, everyone was devirtualized.


	5. Evolution

Having already figured out a way to drain the codes, Jeremie gestured for Odd to come over. He was going to extract the source code from his claws. He pointed towards a small bar that was attached to the bottom of the middle monitor. It was a new addition. It was thin and had four dark squares lined up. He told Odd to press his finger tips against the squares. Odd did so. They glowed slightly and there was a small shimmer of light coming from his finger tips. He stared in awe as he felt something tingly in his fingers.

Once it was over, the shimmering stopped. He pulled his hand away. He stared at his hand, inspecting it. That was easier than he thought. No needles, thank goodness. He felt a little disappointed that the code was gone. He didn't understand why. He didn't need it. He looked over at the device. The squares still glowed, but it was very low, almost unnoticeable.

On the computer screen, a window popped up. There was a large question mark where a model would usually be. On the bottom, there was a progress bar zipping across the screen, slowly filling up. When it was full completely, a model of a Block showed up. With the process complete, Jeremie went to sit down in the chair.

He told the others it would take a while for him to analyze the code. Without a copy from a normal Block, it would be hard for him to tell what was different about this one. He did assure the others he would get to the bottom of it and find out why the Block was so resistant. The answers would be in the source code. He'd just need to analyze it.

It took almost two days for him to find out what was wrong with the Block. As soon as he realized what it was, he called the others and told them they needed to meet in his room as soon as possible. The others knew it had to be important. His voice was very urgent. He never spoke like that unless something was very wrong. They rushed to his room as soon as they got the chance.

They saw Jeremie sitting in his chair. He was unusually quiet. They called out his name, but he didn't respond. They thought something happened to him. They realized they were mistaken when he slowly turned around to face them. His eyes were wide and he was slightly pale, like he saw a ghost or something. This did nothing to ease anyone's tension.

It was just as he had feared. The code was an evolving one. It adapted and improved day by day. It wasn't by much. Only slightly better every twenty four hours. But all these days would add up and they would grow more and more resistant.

On top of that, he learned that the weapons are also getting stronger. Day by day, they were slightly more powerful and deal slightly more damage. Again, this would add up. By next week, the monsters could be as much as thirty percent stronger.

Jeremie warned them that they had to figure out how to stop this evolution. They needed to learn how XANA was upgrading his monsters steadily like this. They had to find the source of this extra power and destroy it, and they didn't have a lot of time. If they failed to stop him soon, the monsters would become too strong for them to battle. They would be devirtualized in the first shot, or worse, killed if the weapons are powerful enough.

Odd felt his stomach tie in knots when Jeremie informed him he was going to be very important on missions now. As the monsters grow stronger, the others will have a harder and harder time dealing with them. His Drain Claw was the only thing that would kill the monsters in the first shot, no matter how resistant they get.

He wanted to tell him he disagreed. He wanted to tell the others he didn't feel comfortable with the Drain Claw. The words wouldn't escape his mouth. He couldn't protest because he knew, deep down inside, that Jeremie was right. If he disagreed to this, it would mean condemning his friends, and himself, to a struggle they may not make it out alive.

Seeing no alternative, he gave an affirmative nod to Jeremie. He agreed he would use the weapon, but only when necessary. He didn't elaborate to them on why, and they didn't ask further. Jeremie thanked him and relayed the next course of action to the others. He would need to run a specialized scan on the computer to look for anomalies that would need to be investigated. He would try to have a mission ready by tomorrow. He dismissed the others and they went to their rooms.

**sss**

Around midnight, Odd let out a scream, loud and shrill. He jumped up in his bed. He was covered in sweat and was panting heavily, out of breath. His, eyes, wide with fear, darted around the room. For a few seconds, he didn't recognize where he was, and he was panicking. He soon calmed himself down a little, but he was still shaken up.

"It was just a dream...it was just a dream..." He whispered to himself. He picked up Kiwi, set him on his lap, and began petting him. The feel of his soft fur helped to ease his racing mind.

Odd had the same nightmare again. The same barren landscape. The same black shapes chasing the same figure. The same mismatched skies. The same crumbling buildings. The one thing that changed was that the figure was in better view. He still couldn't tell who it was, but it looked to be someone small. And, just like the other dreams, at one point, near the end, he was looking through the eyes of the person being chased.

He thought that his screams wouldn't wake anyone up. They never did before. This time, things were different. Odd saw something move out of the corner of his eye. He looked up to see an irritated Ulrich looked down at him. Odd was surprised he was awake. He thought the ear plugs were working like a charm. Had he really screamed that loud?

"Hi, Ulrich." Odd said innocently. He flashed a smile. "Can't sleep?"

"Not with your screaming, no." Ulrich said, narrowing his eyes.

Odd couldn't think of anything else to say except, "Sorry."

Ulrich shook his head. Odd expected him to go back to sleep. He didn't. Ulrich just stood there, glaring at him. He noticed there was something else in that glare besides frustration. Recognition, contemplation, realization? He couldn't pinpoint it exactly.

Ulrich took a deep breath and sat down next to Odd. Kiwi jumped off Odd's lap and darted away. Odd moved a bit away from Ulrich, feeling a little awkward with him sitting next to him like that. The larger boy just sat there for a few minutes, his eyes closed. He was trying to figure out something to say. Odd wondered what it was.

"I know what's been going on, Odd." Ulrich said in a quiet voice, not looking at Odd. "Don't bother denying it either."

Odd blinked. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Ulrich gave him a sideways glance. "Odd, don't lie. I know the truth."

Odd didn't know what to say. He sat there frozen. He stared at Ulrich in shock.

"And no, I have not told anyone else. I wanted to talk to you about it. I just never found the right time to do it." Ulrich explained. He took in a deep breath. He turned to face Odd. "I know you have been getting nightmares lately."

"N-No I haven't." Odd lied. He gave Ulrich a fake grin. "What makes you think I'm getting nightmares? I've been sleeping through the nights like a baby!"

"Is that why you've been screaming like a baby lately?" Ulrich asked, an eyebrow raised.

Odd flinched. "You..you heard?"

Ulrich nodded. "I pretended not to hear. I figured you wouldn't want to talk about them right away. I was waiting for you to say something. But it's been weeks now and the nightmares haven't gone away. Odd, I think now is the time for you to talk to someone about these nightmares."

"No, I'm fine, really!" Odd protested. "No need to worry about me. I just need to get back to sleep and..."

"Come on, Odd. Why don't you just tell me what the dreams are about?" Ulrich asked. He put a hand on Odd's shoulder. "I'm your best friend. You can tell me anything."

Odd pushed his hand away. "I'm fine okay? Just go back to sleep!" He said, narrowing his eyes a little. He pushed himself under the covers and forced his eyes closed.

Ulrich rolled his eyes. "Okay fine. Have it your way Odd." He returned to his bed and went back to sleep.

Odd opened up one eye and looked over at Ulrich. Perhaps he should have taken that chance to tell him. It would be nice to finally tell someone about these persistent nightmares. He just didn't want him to worry about him. He could handle this himself, couldn't he? He defeated Therizino despite her control over him. Surely he could beat this, right?


	6. The Darkening Blood

Odd dozed off in class again. He kept his head up and he tried to keep his eyes open. He couldn't do it. He found himself resting his head on the desk. He felt Ulrich nudge him. He didn't respond. He just kept staring blankly, eyes half open.

He hadn't felt this tired since his tie with Therizino. It was his fault, really. He didn't get back to sleep last night after he found out Ulrich had heard his screams at night. He didn't want to take the chance of another nightmare that same night. He could just see Ulrich shaking him and demanding answers out of him. He always thought that was hypocritical of Ulrich. He can be pushy when wanting answers out of him, but when it comes to himself, he's a closed book.

Another nudge from Ulrich, harder, made him try to stay awake. He raised his head and stared ahead. The teacher hadn't noticed him sleeping, not yet anyway. Odd, mustering up strength, sat up in his chair and kept his head raised up. His eyes were still part way open, but at least he wasn't sleeping on his desk anymore.

Ulrich gave him a soft glare. "Let me guess. Sleep troubles?"

Odd gave a wordless nod. His eyelids began fighting with him, wanting to close.

Ulrich said in a low voice, "Just try to stay awake this time. If you're caught sleeping in class again, they just might send you to the principals office."

"Yeah I know." Odd murmured sleepily. He had a hard time staying awake. Why didn't he force himself to sleep at night?

"Odd!" Ulrich hissed lowly, giving him a small push. "Stay awake!"

But Odd wasn't listening now. Sleep was calling him. He was paying the price for staying up. He rested his head on his desk again, nestled in his folded arms. His eyes closed. He didn't respond to Ulrich's shaking nor his demands for him to wake up.

He was shaken awake by a rough hand. He murmured sleepily to himself and looked up. He saw the teacher standing there. Odd's eyes widened in fear.

"Odd, how many times do we have to go through this? The classroom is no place for you to take a nap!" The teacher scolded. Odd sank down in his seat. "Now pay attention! If I catch you sleeping again, it's the principal's office for you!"

The teacher walked away as some of the other students chuckled at his misery. Odd watched the teacher, narrowing his eyes slowly, baring his teeth slightly. "Will do, sir..." He said in a low growl, too soft for anyone but himself and Ulrich to hear.

Ulrich was shocked by Odd's tone of voice. "Stop it, Odd." He told him. "I don't want you getting into deeper trouble."

Odd's expression softened. "I know." He thought about what he said before. He never spoken in that tone of voice before. 'Where did that come from?' He wondered.

"Why do I have to do this?" Odd whined.

"We all have to do it." Aelita said. "It's not just you."

"Relax, it'll only take a few seconds." Ulrich told him.

Odd folded his arms. "I hate needles."

Jeremie said dismissively, "A lot of people do. You aren't special in that aspect."

**sss**

Odd and his friends were sitting in the hallway, waiting for Nurse Yolanda to call them in one by one. It was a check up for the most part, which Odd didn't mind too much, if Yolanda would stop calling him scrawny. But this check up was different. The principal announced there was going to be a blood drive in the next few days and he made it mandatory for all students to have their blood checked for iron levels.

Odd didn't know why it had to be mandatory. Not everyone was willing to donate blood. He wasn't planning on doing it. He couldn't anyway. He was too light. He didn't see the point in everyone being checked. Oh well, he supposed the principal just wanted to be thorough. No stone left unturned, as they say.

Jeremie had already been called in. He had been gone for a few minutes as Yolanda checked his health. He came back out and sat down next to Aelita. Odd looked at the band-aide on his finger and flinched at the sight of it. He wasn't thrilled with the idea of his finger being pricked by a needle. It gave him little comfort that his last name was Della Robbia. He was up very soon.

Then the time came.

"Odd Della Robbia!"

Swallowing at the thought of needles, Odd followed Yolanda into the room.

The usual routine was performed first. She checked his weight first. She had him take off his shirt so she could listen to his heart. She had him breathe in so she could check his lungs. Reflexes were checked as well as height. It didn't take long for her to complete it.

He knew she was going to get the needle out now. Yolanda went up to her desk and pulled out something in plastic. She pulled out a small device out. He recognized it as a type of needle. He wanted to get away, but he forced himself to stay. It was just going to be a prick. He couldn't be a baby about this.

But as Yolanda held his hand and maneuvered the device over his fingers, he couldn't help but tremble a little and look away. His fear of needles was known and Yolanda made this as quick as possible for him. A press of the button, a quick jab of pain, and it was over. She pulled the needle away from him.

"Okay you are good to go Odd..." Yolanda's voice trailed off as she looked at the blood on the needle. Her eyes widened a little. "Hmm...that is strange..."

Odd looked up at her. "What? My blood? What about it?"

Yolanda looked down at him. "I may need to take more blood." Odd's eyes widened slowly. "I'm sorry, Odd, but this may be important."

He backed away slowly. "Is this really necessary?"

Yolanda nodded. "I'm afraid so. Your blood is a darker color than normal. I have to make sure it's nothing serious. If I don't ensure you aren't in danger and you get sick, it will be on my head."

**sss**

After the ordeal was over, the others gathered in Jeremie's room for more information on the mission. Odd explained to the others what happened in Yolanda's room.

"She took a vial of blood from you?" Yumi asked, raising an eyebrow. "Why?"

"She said something about my blood being darker." Odd explained. The others looked at them with confused expressions. He shrugged. "I don't get it either. I feel fine. Since when was darker blood a bad thing?"

Jeremie adjusted his glasses. "Well, Odd, I'm no expert on blood, but if Yolanda thinks it's worth investigating..."

"Just how dark was your blood anyway?" Ulrich asked. "And how did she get it?"

Odd thought for a moment. "Well, she pricked my finger, the tip of it. I looked away so I didn't see it at first."

"Did you see the blood at all?" Aelita asked.

Odd had to think longer before he finally said, "I think I did. It was a little dark, but nothing unusual. It was still clearly red. It just wasn't bright red like it usually is." He looked at his friends. "But blood can be very dark, can't it? I think Yolanda is making a big deal out of nothing."

Yumi frowned. "Odd, blood pricked from the finger should always be a brighter red than if they had taken it out of your veins. Blood is only dark when there's a lack of oxygen." She winced as she thought of the implications of that. "You don't seem like you're sick or asphyxiated, but I don't know what else it could be."

Odd was silent for a few minutes. He didn't want there to be something wrong with him again. He hoped Yolanda would find out it was nothing serious. He mentally convinced himself that it was fine. "Well Yolanda says it won't take long for the results to come in. I will tell you what she says. Will that make you guys happy?"

The others nodded.

Jeremie swerved over to his computer. "Now that is taken care of, here is the mission plan..."

Odd couldn't listen. He looked at his finger, a band-aide covering it. He looked at his arm where they drew blood. He gingerly felt the cloth that covered up the puncture wound. He wasn't worried about this at first. Yumi's words shocked him. He hadn't thought about the location of the blood being drawn. He hadn't thought about the veins having darker blood, but his fingertips not.

A part of him wondered if Therizino was behind this. No, she wasn't, he told himself. She was killed months ago. She couldn't hurt him again.

"Do you understand?"

Odd snapped out of his thoughts. He looked at the others. They had finished listening to Jeremie. Odd mentally cursed himself for not listening. He didn't want to be scolded by asking for a repeat, so he pretended he heard. He smiled and nodded.

"Roger that, Einstein!" He said with a smile.

Jeremie nodded. "And remember this Odd. Do not allow yourself to be devirtualized. You must exercise great caution now. As I've told you, Drain Claw is the only weapon that will remain useful as XANA's monsters get destroyed. Stay back and don't take risks."

Odd nodded. Although he didn't like letting everyone else hog all the fun, he knew Jeremie had a point. "I understand." He had to wonder one thing, though. Just which sector would they be going and what would they do there? He guessed he would have to find out for himself.


	7. A Trip To Sector Five

Virtualized above his friends, he dropped down, his tail twitching slightly. His question to himself about where they were going was answered almost immediately. He was standing on the familiar surface of Sector Five's entrance. The lightly colored XANA symbol was right below him and up ahead, the doors started opening up, revealing another randomly generated room.

As it opened, the group ran towards the hallway. They followed the path until it opened up into a large room. Blue pillars were arranged in no particular order, forming walls, ceilings, and platforms for them to navigate. It was never the same here, and that sometimes excited Odd, depending on his mood.

"The key should be above you. Take a look around." Jeremie said.

"I see it!" Aelita shouted, pointing to where the key was, almost hidden behind a pillar.

"I'll go get it." Ulrich said. "Super Sprint!"

He raced across the platforms. A few of them were moving up and down. He timed his jumps, advancing upward. When he reached the right platform, he located the key. The timer was going down fast. He ran forward and pressed his hand against the key. It activated and the timer stopped. Ulrich quickly returned to his friends.

Now they were free to look around the sector. Odd wasn't sure where they were going to go after this, but he didn't want to ask. He believed that he would be scolded for not listening, and he was likely to be correct. He opted to just follow the group as they navigated through the maze that was Sector Five.

They went down another hallway and entered another large room. It wasn't as large as the core room, but it came pretty close. They walked straight across. Down further was another hallway that turned to the right. He could hear the sound of a platform zipping around. Odd realized they were heading for the elevator.

They didn't get too far when a Creeper jumped in front of them. They stopped in their tracks as they heard more Creeper cries. Behind them, three more were slithering their way over to them. They looked at each other. So much for their quiet trip.

Odd was the first one to react. Out of habit, he jumped in front of the first Creeper. He took aim and shouted "Laser Arrow!" In seconds, the Creeper was gone. He didn't have time to celebrate as he was shot in the back and knocked forward.

"Careful!" Yumi destroyed the Creeper with her fan. "Remember what Jeremie said."

"Yeah, yeah, take it easy. I know." Odd said as he brushed himself off. He felt a little disappointed in the attack earlier. The Laser Arrow wasn't as satisfactory as it used to be. He shrugged it off. He probably just wasn't in a good mood right now. He looked around. "Do you think there's more Creepers besides these two?"

Ulrich and Aelita engaged the two remaining Creepers. They managed to stay clear of their shots and were backing them up against the wall, advancing on them.

"I wouldn't be surprised." Aelita said as she threw a sphere of pink energy at one of the Creepers. It hit it dead on, but it did not destroy it. She narrowed her eyes. "I sure hope that doesn't mean what I think it does..."

Ulrich snarled to himself. "Oh great, another immune monster. This is just perfect!" He ran towards the Creeper in front of him. Hoping that the monster wasn't invincible like its 'brother', he struck down with his two swords, cutting deep inside it. There was the familiar glow, but it quickly faded. "I was afraid of this!" He looked up towards the sky. "Jeremie, there's two resistant monsters here!"

"Get away from them and had to the elevator, now!" Jeremie shouted.

"But what if they follow us?" Yumi asked.

"They can't follow you up the elevator. Now go!"

The group hesitated, and then followed Jeremie's orders. They ran down the hall towards the elevator. The two immune Creepers slithered alone, chasing them down. Luckily they weren't that fast, and soon they were out of range and out of sight. The Creepers stopped following them. That didn't mean they were out of the woods yet. XANA was sure to send more Creepers their way.

They rode the elevator. Odd always hated how it wound around, and sometimes it made him sick. It didn't bother him this time around. He didn't know why at first. Maybe he just got used to it.

On an upper level of Sector Five, they ran down another pathway. Aelita moved in front of them. Now the group was following her. Odd guessed she knew where she was going. They continued to follow her until they reached the middle of a large platform, seemingly off by itself.

Aelita paused and looked around. Since Sector Five changes a lot, she wanted to make sure this was the correct area to be. She moved slowly towards the center, possessing a slightly raised square. Odd didn't notice it at first, but it had a pale glow to it. When Aelita was close enough, a console was activated. Odd was surprised. He didn't think there were any other floating screens besides the one Aelita used on the corridor.

"Okay Jeremie. I located Therizino's console." Aelita said.

Odd's eyes widened.

"Gotcha. Go ahead and proceed." Jeremie said.

"All right then." Aelita said as she pressed her hand against the console and began working on it. As if to answer Odd's unasked question, she said, "I will send you what I can about Therizino."

"Yeah and hopefully some of that data will tell us how to defeat these monsters." Ulrich folded his arms.

"I cannot guarantee it will, guys." Jeremie sounded solemn. "It might give us some insight. After all, these monsters are showing the same resistance that Therizino had. But the console was locked up. And even though I have taken extra precaution this time to ensure Aelita doesn't fall into another trap like last time, there is no guarantee something won't go wrong."

Odd raised an eyebrow. "Why didn't we just use the Way Tower in the Mountain Sector?"

A disgruntled sigh from Jeremie. "I guess you weren't listening that time, Odd." After a pause, he said, "When Aelita messed around with the code there, she ended up disabling access to her profile. So the tower is useless to use if we want to find even just a portion of Therizino's source code. This is our only other option."

"Unfortunately, this console might not have any information." Aelita said solemnly as she shifted through the data available in the floating computer. "If all the information of her profile was in the Way Tower, then that lessens the odds of this console having any information." That didn't stop her from continuing to go through the programs. "But there is still a chance. Maybe XANA has a backup copy here. And if he does, it may have the answers we are seeking about these upgrades."

Odd nodded his head slowly as he began to understand the situation more. So that's why they came to Sector Five. There was this console he didn't know was there before, and this console might, just might, have a backup profile of Therizino. He recalled how she was hard to kill even when her Eye Of XANA was hit. Finding the source information, from the monster that originally had this ability, might help shed new light on how to defeat the evolving monsters.

Just then, two Creepers showed up out of nowhere. They didn't see where they came from. They were just suddenly there, shooting their lasers. The Lyoko Warriors were tossed back and Odd lost most of his life points, down to maybe thirty he guessed. Aelita didn't have time to react when the monsters closed in on her. She charged up her weapons, but she was knocked to the ground before she could finish.

Odd's eyes widened. If she were devirtualized, they wouldn't get the information they needed. They'd have to come back later, and who knows how powerful the monsters would be at that time. Odd threw caution to the wind as he ran all on fours towards where Aelita fell. As the monsters were preparing to attack her again, he in front of her, causing them to pause briefly as if confused.

"Get back to that computer, Aelita!" He said, standing in front of her. "I'll hold them off!"

"Just be careful." Aelita said as she moved back to the floating screen to continue her searching.

"Odd wait! Let us help!" Ulrich shouted as he and Yumi started running towards him.

But Odd was already making his move. He glared at the two Creepers and said, "You two wanna dance? I can take up your offer on that." His claws on both hands extended fully. "Drain Claw!" He shouted as he jabbed both monsters right in the chest.

Ulrich and Yumi stopped in their tracks and watched in horror at the scene that played out before them. Odd's claws were filling up with a blue substance, just like before. The monsters were growing paler and paler by the second. Their 'skins' started to collapse in itself. The mouths were folding over, exposing more and more of their gun inside of them. The gun was bending and almost melting.

Odd was sickened by the sight, but he didn't relent. He kept the same glare of determination on his face. He kept literally draining the life force out of the two monsters. Soon, the entire 'skin of the monsters lay on the ground like a heavy sack, the melted gun in the center of both piles. Odd pulled his claws out of the mush as they disappeared into data and floated away.

He looked back at Ulrich and Yumi. They looked disgusted by what happened. Odd couldn't blame them. He closed his eyes and rubbed his stomach. He was glad he wasn't on earth, or his lunch would be all over the ground now.

Something bothered him. He didn't want to say anything. He hoped he never would have to say anything. He looked back at his claws, dark blue in color now. He had that same feeling as before, the feeling of enjoyment in what he did. It was a little stronger now, nagged at him more this time. And it frightened him.


	8. Satisfaction Disturbed

Ulrich stared at Odd in shock. He didn't think he would have to witness the horrors of Drain Claw again that soon. He definitely didn't expect to see two monsters get drained at the same time. That made it so much worse. He felt sicker than he did the last time he had witnessed it. Just like before, he found it hard to tear his eyes away. It was so horrifying, yet so hypnotic. He felt sorry for Odd, who had to see it all up close.

He couldn't believe that the Creepers had followed them. He did hear something on their way up, some kind of scraping, but he had brushed it off. He thought it was nothing to worry about immediately. He had been so very wrong. He was thankful Odd hadn't devirtualized himself and he took care of those Creepers, even if their deaths were one of the sickest things he's ever seen.

He looked over at Yumi. She hadn't said a word. She was still staring in Odd's direction. He looked to see where her eyes were focused. They were locked onto Odd's claws, now shimmering a deep blue, filled with the monsters' source codes. He thought he could see Yumi trembling, but maybe he was just imagining it.

Yumi had told him after the first use of Drain Claw how creeped out she was by it. She couldn't believe Jeremie would design such a program. Ulrich doubted that Jeremie knew the effects of the attack other than the source code drainage. He didn't really blame him for creating the program. They did kind of need it. He also couldn't really fault Yumi for being squeamish. It would be hard to get used to these deaths. Yumi wished she could unsee what she did with the Block.

Aelita shared her sentiments. She was even more disturbed by it. Ulrich deduced it was because she grew up, a sense, on Lyoko. She spent ten years on it. The monsters were almost her neighbors. Hostile, murderous neighbors, but still neighbors nonetheless. To see them get deformed and mangled like that, it wasn't something she felt she could handle. Ulrich recalled her being particularly squeamish when Jeremie unleashed Marabounta on XANA's monsters. And Marabounta's attacks were a walk in the sunshine compared to Drain Claw.

Ulrich couldn't help but shudder when he saw something flash in Odd's eyes. He saw a brief look of twisted satisfaction reflect in them. It was gone as soon as he saw it. He thought at first he imagined it, but he saw Odd's look of fear. Brief, but it was there. Odd knew he felt satisfaction from the monsters' deaths.

The thought disgusted him. He refused to believe his best friend would get a kick out of something like this. It was sick. It was twisted. It was vile, and so many other negative words Ulrich could think of. Perhaps he was due for another talk with Odd. He wondered if his nightmares would shed any light on this. Just what has Odd been dreaming about?

He looked over at Aelita. She was still looking through the data. He didn't know how long she had before more monsters came. He hoped XANA wouldn't make a move until they were ready to leave. He really didn't want to see Odd use Drain Claw again. Not today.

**sss**

"So this is the sample from Odd Della Robbia?" A man asked, frowning at a vial of dark red blood.

In front of him stood Nurse Yolanda. She had went over to the hospital to drop off the blood. She watched as the man investigated the vial, tilting it from side to side and watching it slide. The blood drained slowly from side to side.

"Yes." Yolanda said. "I need to have some tests run on it. Something is not right with the boy's blood. I was hoping you could study it and give me your informed opinion."

The man asked, "Why do you think something is wrong? The blood seems normal. Okay well not totally normal. It's thicker than usual. But that's all I can see."

Yolanda shook her head. "I took blood out of Odd's fingers. Pricked them. The blood should be a much lighter color. It's only dark when the blood is taken from the veins." She frowned at the vial. "Blood as dark as that," she pointed at the vial, "shouldn't come out of a tiny cut in the finger. It should be bright red."

"Ah I see." The man nodded and walked away.

He went up to his desk. Books lined it, most of the dusty from lack of use. On one shelf, there were rows of different blood vials. He took out a marker and wrote down Odd's full name on the vial and put down a code on it. He set it down next to the other blood vials.

"I will run tests and I will call you when I have something." The man said.

"Thank you." Yolanda said. She turned and left.

**sss**

Aelita looked through the different windows that popped up. Data lined all of them, floating in front of her like it was in water. She frantically searched around for any information at all on Therizino. There were no monsters around, but she sensed more were going to come. It wouldn't be long now before a group would show up and start attacking. Odd's Drain Claw couldn't be used that quickly; it took time, and when the monsters find out how big of a threat he was, they would focus on him and devirtualize him.

She had to hurry. She wanted to find the information so badly. But it didn't seem to be here. She was finding nothing. Maybe XANA really did store the information only in one computer. And if that was the case, there were only two reasons she could see him doing this.

The first reason: A security measure. He may have worried that they would try to hack information regarding Therizino to find a way to stop her. Locking the information up in one location could be considered a fail safe of sorts. It would make it harder to find the information.

And the second reason: XANA considered Therizino a failure the entire time. Maybe XANA was never happy with Therizino and just let her run amok since she wasn't screwing up any of his plans. He wasn't doing any attacks at the time anyway, so nothing to ruin. Maybe he didn't want to create anoture failed experiment and thus never bothered to back up her information.

Regardless of which reason it was, Aelita knew one thing. If any of those two turned out to be true, she and the others could just kiss finding Therizino's data goodbye. She began to wonder if this was all a big waste of time. Maybe she should call Jeremie and tell him to bring them in.

Then finally she found something. Hidden deep in the data was a folder. The icon was so small, almost invisible. She clicked on it and a single text file appeared. It was not the source code she was hoping for. But it might actually help them out. She read through it briefly.

Her eyes widened. A small smile appeared on her face, although she appeared slightly shaky. Yes, this would help. But she wasn't sure if she wanted to read it. The information was regarding how Therizino was created. It detailed how XANA got a hold of part of a human mind and use it to help create Therizino. She didn't want to read about that. She turned her head away. No, she wouldn't read it. Jeremie might be able to handle it better on an emotional level. And she'd never show Odd it, not after what happened to him.

She forced herself to look back. She pressed a few buttons, initiating a file send sort of transfer. "Jeremie, I am sending you the data."

"I am on standby." Jeremie said.

Aelita pressed one more button. The information she found started to send to Jeremie. She hoped the information she found was helpful in the end. She hoped that they could figure out how to stop these monsters from getting more powerful. She hated to think of what would happen if they were too late.

"Okay, Aelita. I got the data. Thank you."

Aelita simply nodded in response and said in a very soft voice, "No problem, Jeremie."

Then she heard scraping sounds. Her eyes widened. She flipped her head to the right. She couldn't see it, but she heard the sound of another Creeper coming up. And she thought she heard a Manta overhead.

"XANA's sending a couple monsters your way!" Jeremie cried.

"Yes, we can see that!" Ulrich shouted as he readied his sword. "I just hope for one thing."

"And what is that?" Yumi asked, pressing her back against him as they waited for the small group of monsters to get closer.

Ulrich said, "That we don't have to bear witness to Odd's Drain Claw again today. It's too...twisted."

"Don't remind me!" Odd shouted from the distance as he jumped onto the back of a Manta.


	9. Concerning

"Don't worry, I'm bringing you guys back in!"

"That's a relief. We don't have to welcome XANA's newcomers after all." Yumi said as she tossed a fan at one a Creeper. She groaned when it didn't burst open despite being hit in its XANA eye. That made her feel more relieved that they were leaving. She didn't want Odd to use Drain Claw again.

Although they were going to be devirtualized soon, Ulrich held his swords out, prepared to fight. He could just let them hit him and he'd return to earth anyway. But they weren't sure what effects the more powerful weapons would have. What if they transferred to earth somehow? That was remote, but he didn't want to take the chance of finding out. He dodged every shot they threw at him.

Aelita joined Ulrich and Yumi. She stood next to them. Her eyes weren't on the Creepers approaching them. Instead, she was looking up in the air. She watched, stunned, as Odd was literally doing rodeo with the white and blue beast. Ulrich and Yumi noticed where Aelita was looking and turned their heads up as well. Up in the sky, they saw Odd riding on the back of a Manta.

Odd hung onto the Manta and attempted to steer it away from the others. The Manta bobbed up and down, did a dive, and turned upside down. It continued this struggle to try to get Odd off of it. He just hung on tighter. He sank his claws into the back of the Manta to try to hang on tighter.

He realized his mistake too late. Although he had deactivated Drain Claw after he finished off the two Creepers, it got activated again as soon as his claws penetrated the hide of the Manta. His eyes widened as his already filled claws began to gorge on even more data.

The entire body of the Manta began to wrinkle up. The wrinkling became deeper and deeper until it started to crack and break apart. The 'wings' of the beast began to get rigid and soon broke off like it was part of a worn off statue. The Manta began falling to the ground. The colors continued to fade until it was a sickly white. His feet sank deep into the monster, like it was some flying deflated balloon or something.

The Manta gave a strangled screech as it plummeted into the flat ground. Odd was tossed from its body. He shook his head and looked over at his handiwork. The Manta's other wing had been smashed off. The tail had broken apart and lay next to it, twitching wildly. The head moved up and down slowly, trying to get up. Then its body flatted almost completely, leaving a popped balloon-like corpse on the ground, until it broke apart into data and floated away.

Yumi bit her lip and looked away. "Well so much for no more Drain Claw today."

Aelita shook her head slowly. She couldn't bear to witness more of these. She wanted to tell Jeremie to get rid of the program. But would that be wise at this point? She hated to admit it, but the Drain Claw was a necessary evil.

Odd's body trembled as he witnessed what happened to the Manta. He looked down at his paws. The claws had grown a little wider to make room for more data. He now carried the source codes for three monsters. For some reason, having all these source codes flowing through his claws felt good. He knew that sounded so twisted, but it was true.

_'Is this really that bad?'_ That was the question a part of his mind asked himself as he thought about their current predicament, the important role of Drain Claw, and all the terrible things XANA's monsters had done. And he was terrified to answer his own question.

**sss**

Just like before, Odd pressed his fingers against the panel. He felt the codes being drained for him. He felt part of his body feel disappointed. He ignored it. As soon as it was finished, he pulled his hand away and stepped back. He let Jeremie start running programs on the newfound source codes. Jeremie had not expected Odd to get more source codes, but he was glad he did. It would help him better narrow down what was making the monsters more powerful, and to figure out a solution.

Ulrich watched for a moment as Jeremie opened up a few programs to do their work. When the little genius turned his chair around, Ulrich decided to voice his opinion.

"Jeremie, you have to figure something out with Odd's Drain Claw." He said, folding his arms. Jeremie looked at him confused. "I'm not surprised you don't know what I'm talking about, but I assure you if you ask me or Yumi or Odd or Aelita, we'll all say the same thing."

Jeremie turned his head away only to press a button to start a scanner program. He turned back to Ulrich. "I'm sorry, but what are you talking about? What's wrong with Drain Claw? Doesn't it work?"

"Oh it works all right." Yumi commented. "It works a little too well."

"What?" Jeremie turned his attention to Odd. He looked at him expectantly.

Odd hesitated. He avoided eye contact with the other blond for a second. "Yeah, Drain Claw does work, Jeremie, but the effects...they're..how should I put it...?"

"Disgusting." Ulrich said.

"Horrific." Yumi said.

"Frightening." Aelita said.

"Yeah that." Odd nodded his head. "It deforms the victims and it's...creepy. Could you program it not to do that?"

Jeremie stared at his friends. The first time Drain Claw was used, he had noticed they seemed a little disturbed by something. He thought it had something to do with what happened on Lyoko. He didn't think it was Odd's Drain Claw ability. He didn't program it to do what Odd described. He had thought it would just cause the monsters to glow and explode.

Now that he knew what it did, he understood now why they were shaken up by the last trip. He considered himself lucky he didn't witness any of this take place. For once, he was glad he could only see a grid-line overhead of the battles on Lyoko. The brief description given to him caused him to shudder and began to imagine in his mind that stuff going on. He shooks head to get the imagery out of his head.

"Yes..." Jeremie said, his voice a little shaky. "I'll see what I can do. Maybe by next week, I'll have a corrected version of Drain Claw that won't have the side effects you described, Odd."

"I sure hope so. If I do that one more time, I think I'll..." He trailed off. He almost revealed to the others that he was starting to enjoy using Drain Claw. He stammered for a second and quickly said, "Well anyway, please do what you can, Einstein."

Jeremie nodded. He noted Odd's hesitation. Was he hiding something from them?

**sss**

The next day, in the cafeteria, Jeremie explained some of the discoveries the supercomputer made. It wasn't much to go on, unfortunately. He admitted he might need more data, prompting a gasp from the others. Eyes turned to Odd, who was barely looking at anyone, just playing with his food.

The information Jeremie discovered was that the upgrades were related to Therizino. The supercomputer confirmed that part of Therizino's source code was now in the other monsters. This didn't surprise anyone. It made perfect sense. Therizino couldn't be destroyed that easily either. It would be in XANA's nature to take parts of Therizino that worked and implant them in other monsters.

What Jeremie hadn't found out yet was how to slow it down. The source codes didn't seem to have any signs of weakness or any opening he could exploit. That was rare in source codes. XANA had really been thorough with this. It would take Jeremie maybe longer than a week to figure it out.

Odd didn't say anything. He listened to the others talk. He focused his eyes on the food. He wasn't feeling very hungry. He was still disturbed by his sick satisfaction when he killed the Manta before they left Lyoko. He couldn't really be enjoying something that sick, could he?

He didn't notice Sissi walking up to the table. He picked up his tray and was going to put the food he didn't eat in the trash. He bumped into Sissi, causing him to drop the tray to the ground. Sissi got covered in food and she glared at Odd. She was about to say something when Odd did something nobody expected him to do.

Odd whirled around, his eyes widened, pupils dilated, and he hissed. He sounded like an angry cat, amplified by him exposing his teeth at Sissi. She stared at him, stunned. For once, she couldn't think of anything to say. She slowly backed away. Herve and Nicholas were just as shocked. They, too, remained quiet.

Once they were gone, Odd's expression softened. He realized what he did. He gasped and he turned to his friends. They were looking at him, horrified expressions plastered on their face. Other people were staring at him too, frozen in shock.

Aelita managed to say, "O-Odd...why did you do that?"

Odd's expression never faltered. "I really don't know...I don't understand what came over me..."

"Well don't do it again." Ulrich said, hiding his fear in a stern voice.


	10. Late Night Confession

Ulrich woke up to the sound of whimpering. He looked at the time and saw it was three in the morning. He groaned and got up. He let the blankets fall off of him. He looked over, seeing what he expected to find. His roommate was having another nightmare.

Odd was tossing and turning in his bed. The blanket was wrapped tightly around his mid section. He was murmuring something too quiet for him to hear. His eyes were shut tightly, his brows raised in fear. Ulrich could see sweat trinkling down his face. He swore he could see tears beginning to push their way through Odd's eyes.

Ulrich got up and walked over to the pet. He watched Odd squirming in the bed. He knelt down and put his hand on Odd's shoulder. The boy didn't stop shivering. If anything, Ulrich's touch caused him to freak out even more.

Odd's body stiffened only briefly and he started kicking his legs out. He turned onto his back and spread his arms out. His hands began moving up and down, the fingers arched downward. It looked like he was clawing at the air, or trying to climb something.

Then he started screaming.

"No! I don't want to..please..go away! No! Stay away!" Odd yelled in his sleep, his kicking and air scratching getting more pronounced and intense.

"Wake up!" Ulrich couldn't stand it any longer. He grabbed Odd by his shoulders and shook him hard. "Wake up! Odd! Open your eyes! It's just a dream!" He continued shaking him until Odd's eyes fluttered opened. "It's okay, Odd? See? It was just a..."

He didn't have time to finish. Suddenly, Odd struck forward with his hand. His fingernails scraped across Ulrich's face. The boy staggered back. The nails didn't do much damage, just leave very light scratches. There wasn't even that much force behind the strike. What caused him to fall back was the very act. Odd had never struck him like that before. It took him by total surprise.

Odd had repositioned himself so he was on the bed stomach down. He was standing on his hands and feet, and he was arched up slightly. His eyes were widened, his pupils large. He let out another hiss, this one was more beastly than the last one. His lips were curled up, showing his teeth, which almost looked like they were sharper to Ulrich.

Ulrich put his hands out in front of him and took a few steps back. "It's okay, Odd. I'm not going to hurt you..." He didn't know what else he could do. Something had frightened Odd, he knew, but he couldn't even calm him down without risking a nasty feedback.

Odd shook his head. Just as soon as it came, the wild look was gone from his face. Having snapped out of it, he looked over at Ulrich. He tilted his head when he saw Ulrich was looking at him as though he were afraid. He opened his mouth to ask why until he saw what posture he was in. He widened his eyes when he realized he was positioned just like a terrified cat. He quickly sat up and hugged his legs to his chest.

Ulrich sat down wordlessly to his bed. He stared at Odd. He wondered what he should do. He almost never sees Odd this shaken up. What was his nightmare about? He wanted to do something to help him. But would Odd let him? No, probably not, knowing him. Still, it was worth a shot to ask him.

"Are you okay?" Ulrich asked the first question that came to his mind.

Odd looked over at him and nodded his head once. "Y-Yeah I'm fine. Why?"

"You acted like a cat again." Ulrich said. His voice was stern, but gentle. He didn't want to sound pushy. "And you were really scared. You were even crying."

"No I wasn't." Odd said.

"There were tears in your eyes." Ulrich said. He pointed his finger at him. "I can see them right now."

Odd reached up and wiped his eyes with his arm. He felt something moist on his eyes. He realized Ulrich was right. He was crying. He sniffled once and wiped his eyes dry. "Well I'm not crying anymore. Can't we just go back to sleep?"

Ulrich shook his head. "Odd, I'm not going to let it slide this time."

Looking over at the clock, Odd said, "Ulrich, it's late. Can't we talk about it tomorrow?"

"Odd, it won't take long to tell me what your nightmare is about." Ulrich said. Before Odd could protest again, he added, "If you tell me, I'll let you have my helping of potatoes for a week."

Instantly, Odd's eyes had a spark to them. He forgot all about his fear and he gave a big smile. "Really?" Ulrich nodded, giving a small smile of his own. Odd thought about it for a moment. It didn't take him long to make a decision. "Deal!"

'He really loves his potatoes.' Ulrich thought to himself. "Okay, so give. Just what has you screaming at night?"

Odd's smile was gone. He moved so he was sitting at the edge of the bed. He planted his feet on the ground and looked down. He gripped the edge of the bed with his hands. He closed his eyes. He remembered everything that happened in the dream. Thinking about it made him scared. He didn't want to know what it would feel like talking about it.

"I really don't want to talk about it." Odd began. Ulrich tried to reply, but he was cut off. "But I know you will just keep pestering me, so here it goes." He took in a deep breath and said, "In the dream, it's like the apocalypse struck. Broken buildings and cracked ground. And throughout it, something is chasing someone. Shadows, much like the ones that chased me when Therizino locked me in that mind trap."

Ulrich nodded in recollection. Odd had told them about that. He remembered being particularly disturbed himself.

"I think the person being chased is me, but I can't tell. The person is always in shadow, and I can only see from their eyes at the end. That's when the shadow creatures attack, wrapping their bodies around the person, squeezing them tightly, biting. I can feel all of it. It hurts so much..." Odd said in a low whisper. "Then lately I started hearing her voice."

Ulrich bit his lip. "You mean Therizino?"

Odd nodded. "Yeah, Therizino. She would be taunting me, telling me that I will never escape her, not even in death. That I will become just like her, a monster. She said that was my fate." He looked over at Ulrich. "I am sure she is talking to me. So I think that person being chased in my nightmare is me." He looked down. "It's the only thing that makes sense."

Ulrich let the information he was given digest in his mind. Odd was having nightmares related to Therizino. It didn't surprise him. Therizino had tortured him and almost killed him. He wanted to find a way to comfort him, but what could he do? He couldn't just make the nightmares go away.

He realized that Odd's confession was going to help little. The nightmares shed little light on why his behavior was changing. It did not explain the hissing, the cat-like behavior. If there was any helpful hints in the nightmare, they were practically encrypted.

Yumi might be able to help him. Maybe she was good at interpreting dreams. He would have to talk to her tomorrow as soon as possible. He would discuss things with Yumi on his own. He won't make Odd go with him. It took a lot of courage for Odd to confess to him about his nightmares. He didn't want to put him through it again.


	11. The Worst Kind Of News

Ulrich was sitting in his room. Odd had left earlier, though he didn't say where he was going. Ulrich sat down on his bed. He hadn't bothered getting ready yet. There was still time and he was expecting Yumi to come over any minute. He had told her to meet him in his room. Since it was morning, there wasn't any rule forbidding the girls from visiting the boys' room, or vice versa.

He heard the door knock, and he gave the okay for them to open it. He saw Yumi walking in. She still looked pretty tired, like she just woken up, which may have been the case. She rubbed her eyes as she approached the bed and sat down next to Ulrich.

He immediately cut to the chase.

"Yumi, how good are you at interpreting dreams?" Ulrich asked.

Yumi gave him a surprised look. "You got me out of bed and here early just for that question? Why couldn't you ask me over the phone?"

"I didn't want Odd to get involved." Ulrich said. He knew he must have sounded suspicious when he said that. He should have chosen his words more carefully.

Yumi narrowed her eyes. "What did Odd do this time?" That was the first question that came to her mind.

"Nothing. He's been...well..he's been having nightmares." Ulrich said.

Yumi didn't look concerned. She felt as though she just wasted her time. She said, "I thought this was something serious, Ulrich. On the phone, you made it sound so urgent and..."

"This is urgent!" Ulrich turned his head to face her. She could see the worry filling his eyes, the look of pain they had in them. "The dreams are recurring. They happen every other night. He's been waking me up with his screaming. He looks absolutely terrified when he does wake up." He paused for a moment, watching Yumi's expression change to shock. He looked to the ground. "He thinks the dreams are related to Therizino."

"Therizino?!" She cried, snapping her head back. "But didn't she get destroyed?"

Ulrich sighed and shrugged his shoulders. "That was never determined, remember? We believe she was killed, but maybe she didn't. Maybe she survived."

Yumi let this sink in over the next couple moments. The reality of Therizino's possible survival weighed down her. "Oh man..."

"Yeah." Ulrich knew he had to go into more detail about the dreams. He looked up towards the ceiling as he spoke. "Odd says that, in the dream, he's being chased by some kind of shadow creature, more than one, and they would grab him at the last second and..hurt him." Yumi's eyes widened. "And that's not all. He also told me that Therizino's voice started taunting him in the dream, telling him that she would find him even if she were dead."

Yumi put a hand on her mouth to stifle a loud gasp. Now she understood why this was serious. The dream might be just a dream. It might not be anything to worry about. But she understood the devastating effect dreams can have on people. Some are even afraid to go to sleep if the dreams are terrifying enough.

She wasn't sure what she could say. She did have some intuition sometimes with dreams, but she was by no means an expert. Maybe her mom would be able to help...no she wouldn't. Yumi had to remind herself that her mom had little idea about Lyoko, so her interpretation may not help the. And she wasn't about to tell her mom about Lyoko either, unless she wanted to risk being pulled from the team.

"Well there isn't much I can say that you don't already know." Yumi said in a soft voice. "I'm sure you believed that he is having these nightmares because he's still scared of Therizino, am I right?" Ulrich stared at her and gave a nod. "There might not be anything more to it than that. He needs to understand that Therizino is gone and will never hurt him again."

"But what's strange is that these nightmares didn't happen right away, Yumi. They started occurring months after Therizino's defeat." Ulrich said, his voice raised slightly as he tried to get a point across. "I would think that, if he were traumatized by Therizino, he would have the nightmares almost right after her defeat. Why would the nightmares be delayed by months? And why every other night?"

Yumi shrugged her shoulders. "That is strange. But there isn't much more I can think of other than what I told you."

Ulrich sighed, disappointed. "I don't suppose you know what the shadow monsters might mean."

"If this dream is reoccurring, it might be a warning." Yumi said. "There might be more to the dream than I'm thinking. But the information is so vague. I don't know what the shadow monsters mean." She shook her head slowly. "I'm sorry I couldn't be of more help, Ulrich. Maybe if I were to witness it myself, I could help more."

Ulrich raised an eyebrow. "You mean witness him tossing and turning as he has a nightmare?"

Yumi nodded. "In a way, yes. But what I'm trying to say is that if I can get Odd to tell me about the dream as soon as he wakes up, I might be able to get more information out of him, perhaps a detail he is forgetting, since dreams are stored in short term memory, not long term."

"Okay." Ulrich was confused, but he didn't want to make Yumi elaborate on it.

"I will be over tomorrow night. I'll find a way to sneak in." Yumi said. "Wake me up when he starts having another nightmare."

"Oh you won't need me to wake you up." Ulrich said, a slight sly tone in his voice.

**sss**

Yolanda stared at the paperwork she got back from the doctor. The results were in faster than she had expected. She wished it was a mistake. She looked over the information before her, skimming all the data that came out of the blood testing. She rubbed her head and let out a soft groan. She didn't want to do this, but she had to call in Odd to speak to him in person.

In all her years working as the school nurse, very rarely had she ever had to deliver some terrifying news. The last time she had to do so, she hoped that she never would have to do it again. And it was almost like her wishes were answered. It had been ten years since the last time she had to speak to a student about a serious matter.

Now it was time for her to do it again. She didn't know if she could do it. Odd's case, it was the worst she had ever seen. How would she be able to break it to him? Would she be able to handle his reaction when she did? What of his friends? What would they say? And oh man, his parents...

His parents loved all their children very much. They always spoke fondly of Odd. They were very proud of him. To know that he had...this...it would break their hearts. Yolanda bit her lip as she looked up at the clock. It was time for Odd to be here. It was time to shatter his day.

A knock on the door. A familiar voice on the other side. "Nurse Yolanda?" The door cracked open slightly and she could see the faintest hint of Odd's face. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes." Yolanda said, an air of seriousness in her voice. "Come on in."

Odd felt nervous. He rarely hears Yolanda speak like that unless it was urgent. He felt his chest swell with anxiety. What did she find out?

Yolanda went over to her desk and sat down. She gestured for the young boy to sit in the chair in front of her. She sat in her chair and stared at him for several seconds. She opened her mouth a few times, no words came out.

"What did the results say?" Odd wanted an answer, but he dreaded what it would be.

"Odd, I..." Nurse Yolanda looked away for a second. She looked back. Her eyes had the slightest hint of tears in them. Odd's breathing quickened. Yolanda said, "I'm so sorry..."

"What's...what's wrong?" Odd's voice was trembling. His heart was starting to race. This was going to be worse than he thought.

Yolanda walked up to him. She placed a hand on his shoulder. She hesitated, biting her lip. She knelt down and looked at him in the eye. "Odd..." She whispered. Then she delivered the news that nobody ever wanted to hear.

"You have blood cancer."


	12. Discussion

"So what's the plan, Jeremie?" Yumi asked.

"At this point, I honestly don't know." Jeremie said solemnly. "I was hoping that Sector Five would yield more information."

"We could always try the console I normally use." Aelita suggested.

"Yeah, true, it might have something. But..." Jeremie sighed. "...I just don't know. Sector Five is the only place that would have data like this available. I do have more data from Odd's Drain Claw ability, but they haven't yet given me the information I need to work on a comeback."

Ulrich looked over at the chair Odd usually sat at. It was empty. "Speaking of Odd, where is he?"

The others soon took notice of Odd's absence.

"That's strange. He hardly ever misses lunch." Aelita pointed out.

It was true. Unless Odd was sick, he wouldn't miss meal time for the world. They looked around the cafeteria. They didn't see him anywhere. They looked over where the line was. Maybe he was just late or something. But again they didn't see him. For most people, it wouldn't be too big a concern. But with Odd, just one missed meal could be considered suspicious.

It was halfway through lunch and Odd still hadn't shown up. That wasn't like him. They couldn't believe they didn't notice until now. Then again, they were really focused on what the next mission would be. They spent the last fifteen minutes discussing the results of last mission and what ideas Jeremie had for the next one.

Ulrich had a feeling he would be volunteered to go find Odd. Instead of allowing himself to be picked, he got up on his own. "I will be right back." With that, he took his tray, dumped out the food he didn't eat, and went to look for Odd.

His three friends watched him leave. Once they were gone, they turned their attention back on each other.

"Do you think it could be serious?" Yumi asked, twirling her fork in her food.

Aelita shook her head. "It's probably nothing to worry about. You know Odd."

Jeremie adjusted his glasses and leaned forward on the table. "While Ulrich is getting Odd, I think we should use this time to discuss our next course of action. Maybe one of you two have some ideas?"

Aelita shook her head. "Sorry, I don't. Other than using that other console, I got nothing." She looked over at Yumi. "What about you?"

Yumi was paying only partial attention. She thought about what Ulrich had said to her this morning. The nightmares. Maybe they have something to do with Odd's absence. She recalled Ulrich saying he had a nightmare last night. She wondered if that could have frightened him enough to miss lunch.

No, that didn't make sense. Ulrich said Odd has had nightmares for over a month now. He hadn't missed lunch the past month or so, except maybe one or more rare times. She doubted that was the reason.

Then she remembered that Odd was mysteriously gone from the room. Where had he gone? She couldn't think of any reason for him to go anywhere except...Nurse Yolanda's office. A look of comprehension appeared on her face. Could that be the reason? No, it was too early for those results, wasn't it?

"Yumi?"

She shook her head, snapping herself back to reality. She looked over and saw that Jeremie and Aelita were staring at her with concerned and confused looks. Yumi gave a weak smile at them.

"What is it? Do I have something on my face?" Yumi asked, the smile never leaving her face.

"You were staring out into space." Aelita said.

"What is on your mind?" Jeremie asked. "You looked like you wanted to say something."

Yumi hadn't planned on telling Aelita and Jeremie about the nightmares yet. She had wanted to wait until a more appropriate time. She wanted to tell them at the factory, where there would be more privacy.

But she wasn't one to lie to her friends. She couldn't put this off. No, for Odd's sake, she had to tell them. They deserved to know. They wouldn't be able to help, but at least they would understand what Odd was going through.

"Yeah, I was going to say that Odd, he..well..." Yumi fumbled with her words. She tried to find the right ones to say. It felt like it was going to be harder to tell them than she anticipated. "..he has been having nightmares." She managed to blurt out.

Jeremie smiled. "Is that all?"

Yumi narrowed her eyes. "This isn't a joke, Jeremie. Ulrich told me that Odd has been having recurring nightmares, every other day in a pattern. And in these nightmares, Odd is being hunted down by some shadowy force, and Therizino is telling him he will never escape, no matter what." She paused for a moment, trying to imagine herself what experiencing those dreams would be like. "Don't you think it's strange that these dreams happen every other night?"

Jeremie rubbed his chin thoughtfully. While he still thought it was nothing serious, he was willing to give Odd the benefit of the doubt. He recalled how, months ago, they didn't believe Odd about Therizino targeting him specifically, and how she could talk, and he ended up right on both accounts. He felt that, this time around, he should listen more to the hyperactive boy.

"It could be XANA." Aelita interjected before Jeremie could say something. "Maybe he found a way to activate a tower without any of us knowing and is targeting Odd in his sleep."

Jeremie narrowed his eyes. "That is a stretch, Aelita. But you might be right." He took a drink of his soda and said, "I will run some tests from my laptop later today. It won't be as thorough as from the supercomputer, but it should work well enough."

Yumi nodded. She looked over at the clock. Lunch was over in about ten minutes. "I wonder if Ulrich has found Odd yet."

**sss**

Ulrich walked down the hallways. He looked around to try to find Odd. He didn't see him anywhere. Where could he have gone? He already tried the nurse's office, but Yolanda said he left a few minutes ago. She looked sad and he wanted to ask what was wrong. He stopped himself. It might be private and that she wasn't allowed to tell him. He could ask Odd himself if that were the case.

He moved down another hall, looking left and right. Still no sign of the blond boy. After several minutes looking for him in the halls of the building, he decided to try outside. Maybe Odd went over to get a drink. He did love the drinks that one machine spat out for him.

Ulrich walked out the door and headed towards the corner he and his friends often hung out at. He didn't get far when he almost bumped into Sissy. He took a few steps back, shocked that he didn't see her coming. Sissy, on the other hand, didn't seem bothered by him being that close. That didn't surprise Ulrich.

"Oh hey, Ulrich dear..." Sissi said, a large smile on her face. "Have you changed your mind?"

Ulrich growled, "I said no, and I mean no. Now get out of my way, Sissi! I have to look for Odd!"

"Hmph!" Sissi put her hands on her hips. "Well if you want to look for your weirdo friend, he went that way." She pointed to a path that lead into the nearby forest, the same one that Ulrich and his friends took to get to the factory. "Maybe you can do something to snap him out of his trance. He's more annoying now than he ever was!"

"Okay thanks.." Ulrich muttered. He was about to leave, but then stopped himself. He turned to face Sissi again. "Wait, say that again. What about a trance?"

"Well I was walking over there to get a drink when I ran into him. I was furious at him, as I should be, but when I waited for one of his stupid comeback jokes, he just walked away. He ignored me!" Sissi growled softly. "I don't know what his deal is, but since you consider him a friend, you should do something about it!"

"He just walked away?" Ulrich raised an eyebrow. "He didn't take that opportunity to burn you with one of his jokes?"

Sissi shook her head. "I'm just as confused about it as you, Ulrich. He didn't even look at me. He looked.." Her expression softened. "...like he was lost."

Ulrich stared at her for a few seconds before running off into the forest to find Odd. For him not to take the chance to put Sissi in her place, something really must be wrong. Missing lunch and now this? He had to find Odd and figure out what was wrong.


	13. Sorry

Odd walked along in the forest, following whatever path he had taken. He heard the sounds of nature all around him. He saw some birds fly overhead. He only looked at them for a second before turning his eyes downcast again. He didn't know where he was going. And right now, he really didn't care.

His eyes were red and puffy. His cheeks were stained with dry tears. He reached up a hand to wipe them off. The slight shine was still there. He sniffled once as he stepped over a tree root at the last second. He looked all around him, as if to make sure no one had followed him. He didn't want anyone to see him like this.

He replayed the scene over and over again in his mind. He thought about what happened just earlier that day, with Yolanda.

Flashback:

"You have blood cancer."

Those words chilled Odd to the core. The word cancer hit him like a hammer to a nail. Had he heard right? Did Nurse Yolanda tell him he had cancer? He looked into her eyes, hoping to find something to indicate she was lying. He couldn't find any. He just sat there frozen.

Nurse Yolanda looked at him sympathetically. She bit her lip harder. "I'm so sorry to be the one to tell you, Odd... The results came back."

"M-Maybe it's a m-m-mistake?" Odd murmured hopefully, his eyes widening a little.

Yolanda never seen Odd look at her like this before, and it made her feel awful. She sighed and closed her eyes. "Odd, there's nothing else it could be. Something is spreading throughout your blood, replacing your red blood cells. It's a wonder you're even still..." She stopped herself before she said the word 'alive'. She took in a deep breath. "The data doesn't lie, Odd. There's nothing else it could be except blood cancer. A new type that no one has seen before."

"A new type?" Odd whispered in a shaky voice. He felt tears start forming in his eyes. He pushed them back. He didn't want to cry in front of Yolanda.

"Yes. And that means no one knows exactly what symptoms you'll suffer or how to treat it. Not yet." Yolanda told him. "And it could take years before someone finds a breakthrough that can save you, and by then, it may be too late for you." She gently tightened her grip on his shoulder. "I am so sorry...I wish there was something I..."

Odd slapped her hand away. He shot straight up. He stared at her. A tear started dripping down his face. He didn't say another word. Rigidly, he turned and walked out of the door, leaving Yolanda alone in her office. He just continued walking, not caring who he ran into, and soon he reached the forest.

End Flashback:

Odd felt a little bad about leaving Yolanda in the manner that he did. He just needed time to himself right now. Being told he had cancer wasn't something he could just brush off. This wasn't like one of Sissy's jokes, or any of the bad comments he hears about himself throughout the school. Those he could handle. Those were not life threatening. But this...this was. Cancer..how could this have happened to him?

He felt a sickening knot twist inside his stomach. How long had he had this cancer? If he had gotten his blood checked earlier, would that have changed anything? He thought back to his friends. How would they react? They only recently defeated Therizino to save him. Now it might be that defeating her only delayed his upcoming death. He shuddered at the thought of breaking the news to them. Their horrified faces, he could just picture them.

Tears began streaming down his face once more. He tried to fight it, but it was in vain. He didn't want to walk anymore. His legs felt like twigs now. They wobbled with each new step he took. He walked up to one of the largest trees in this forest. He pressed his back against it and allowed himself to slip downwards. He curled up in a ball and started crying.

Then he heard someone. "Odd!"

Odd snapped his head up. He looked around. That voice sounded like Ulrich. He didn't want him seeing him in this state. Odd shot up and began moving around the tree, hoping he could hide from Ulrich.

"Odd, I know you are here!" Ulrich shouted, sounding much closer now. "Come on, we need to talk!"

Continuing to move around the tree slowly, Odd did his best to be quiet. He wished Ulrich would just go away. He didn't want to talk to him right now. As soon as he was on the opposite side of the tree, he began to slowly back away. If he was quiet enough, he could slip away without Ulrich realizing he was ever there. Odd turned around and started to make a dash away.

Only to bump into Ulrich almost right away. The force of the impact caused the two boys to fall to the ground. Odd recovered, shaking his head. He took a look at Ulrich and tried to run, but the larger boy grabbed him by his ankle and pulled him down.

"Let me go!" Odd demanded. He started kicking at the other boy, landing a blow to his shoulder and face.

Despite this, Ulrich refused to release his grip. "You have to tell me what's wrong! Coming out here all by yourself. That isn't like you!"

"Just leave me alone!" Odd shouted, being stubborn as ever. "You don't need to know!"

"Yes I do! I'm your friend!" Ulrich tightened his grip. He proceeded to pin Odd to the ground. He grabbed his arms and pushed them down, and he used his weight to restrain the rest of his body. "I know something is bothering you, and I know it will only hurt you more if you don't tell me." He said, trying to keep his voice calm. "So please..just tell me."

Odd snarled at him, showing his teeth again. Ulrich's eyes went wide. The boy beneath him continued growling for several seconds before he finally stopped. Odd turned his head away, unsure of why he just did that. "I'm...I'm fighting every urge I have right now to kick you where the sun don't shine..." Odd admitted under his breath. "Get off of me...before I hurt you."

Ulrich stifled a gasp at the tone of voice Odd used. It wasn't just a mere warning. It was a threat. Why had Odd just threatened him? Sure, he made him mad before, but it was never like this. Still, he had to remain strong. He couldn't let Odd go, not yet.

"I will let you go as soon as you tell me what's wrong." Ulrich said sternly.

"The only thing that's wrong is you won't let me go!" Odd hissed.

Ulrich narrowed his eyes. "That's not the problem and you know it! So just tell me already!"

Odd was using as much of his willpower as possible to prevent himself from biting his friend. The urge was there. His mind was screaming it. He felt cornered, like a feral cat in an alley way. He felt invisible hairs stand up on end. He felt nonexistent claws extend from his fingers. A part of him wanted to slice up Ulrich for refusing to release him. But he couldn't do that. Ulrich was his friend.

He recalled a conversation he had earlier with his friends. He remembered the promise that he made. He did tell them he would relay any information Yolanda gave him. He stared into Ulrich's eyes, seeing the determination in them. He knew he wasn't going to get out of this unless he just confessed, or if he gave in to his cat-like urges and bite him.

He knew what he had to do.

"Ulrich..." He said in a scratchy voice. "Do you remember when I promised that I would tell you the results of the blood test?"

Ulrich nodded.

"The results are in already." Odd said, closing his eyes. "I w-wish I didn't..."

Ulrich didn't like the sound. His grip on his friend loosened up. A worried expression plastered over his face. "What is it, Odd? What did they find out?"

Odd looked up at him. Ulrich gasped at how many tears were flowing from his friend's face. He almost never sees Odd cry like this. "Ulrich I...I have cancer..."

Ulrich's face paled. "C-Cancer..?" Odd nodded his head. "Could it have been a mistake? Maybe they.."

Odd shook his head. "Y-Yolanda said it couldn't be anything else." The harsh voice from earlier was replaced with a trembling, frightened one. "I have some new..unknown bl-blood cancer and..she can't tell me how long I have left..."

"Oh Odd I..." Ulrich didn't know what to say. "I'm sorry..."

"That's what Yolanda told me." Odd said, his voice breaking as he was succumbing to sobbing again.

Ulrich helped him up to his feet. He put an arm around his shoulder to show support. "Come on...let's go back to our room. I'll...tell the others so you don't have to worry about it, okay?" Odd could only nod as the pair walked back to school.


	14. To Become Feral

Through the buildings the figures swerved around. Like snakes, they encircled the building, broken and shattered, as one large mass. A snake-like head extended out, looking for its prey. It spotted something running off in the distance. A small shape, a small boy, running, panting, trying to get away. The black snake-like blob opened up its maw, a dark mist emitting from its mouth, and zipped down after him.

The boy ran through rubble. All around him, broken pieces of building and dead plants made it harder for him to escape. He looked behind him. The monster was getting closer. Tears formed in the boy's eyes, hardly noticeable with him being covered in shadow himself.

The blob was very close to him now. It almost touched him. He let out a wail and moved faster. The blobs split apart into three beings now. They arched around him, surrounding him completely. The boy shivered in fright and tried to back away. The black stuff closed in all around him. Soon he was covered with the monster and he let out a scream.

Suddenly, a head formed from the black substance. An elongated jaw lined with teeth formed. Black pits that appeared to be eyes stared straight at him. The boy stared back in horror. The eyes bored through his soul, freezing him, stopping him from struggling.

"You cannot escape me. Not even in death." The monster said, its voice feminine and scratchy.

Its hard started to retreat back into the black mess, but not before the boy caught a glimpse of something. For a moment, something reflected back from the monster's eyes. A picture of himself staring back. The boy looked in deeper and his eyes locked onto his own reflection.

The picture shining back was that of Odd Della Robbia.

The boy, Odd, started struggling again as the black blob rose above him. He watched, wide-eyed, as the black mass struck down on him. He was suddenly engulfed in the black stuff, covering his body and suffocating him.

"You cannot fight it. Consider this a warning. Soon, you will be mine again."

Then there was nothing but darkness.

**sss**

Odd shot up wide awake. He let out a scream that woke up Ulrich instantly. It caused Yumi, who had been sitting near his bed, to scream herself and stumble onto the ground. Odd looked down at Yumi. Still affected by the dream, he didn't recognize who she was right away. His pupils shrank until they were mere dots in his irises.

Yumi sat up and brushed herself off. She had landed in Kiwi's food bowl. Disgusted, she tried to get the food pieces off of her. "I hope sneaking in here was worth it." She looked over at Odd. She remembered why she had come. She reached out towards Odd and said, "Odd, can you tell me what you've been dreaming about?"

Ulrich winced as Odd started to emit a low growl. He moved over towards Yumi and made her lower her hand. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." Yumi looked up at him, confused. Ulrich pointed over at Odd. "Look at his eyes. That's...that's not normal..."

Odd growled at both of them. His body was tensed up. His fingertips dug into his blankets. His mouth was open to let out an occasional hiss, making sure his blunt canine teeth were exposed. Then, without warning, he lunged at them, letting out an inhuman yowl.

Ulrich moved out of the way. Yumi tried to get up, but the crazed boy crashed into her. He got her pinned down. He pushed his fingernails into her shoulder. Yumi winced at the pain and she went to push him off. He retaliated by biting her. She screamed, his teeth pushing deep into her skin. Horrified, Ulrich moved behind Odd and wrapped his arms around him. He pulled him off, squeezing him against his chest tightly.

Odd struggled wildly in Ulrich's arms. He thrust himself from side to side. He tried to wriggle his way free. Ulrich responded by holding tighter. He was stronger than Odd by a long shot, so he could manage this. Odd let out several loud yowls as he tried to bite Ulrich's arms.

Yumi watched this scene play out in horror. What was wrong with Odd? Why was he acting like this? She looked into Ulrich's eyes. She could see the fear in them. So this was why the nightmares were getting serious. They had to be what is causing him to act so violently. She wanted to do something to help. She looked around, trying to find something she could use to help restrain Odd.

She pulled off his sheets. She rolled them into a long, thin pile of cloth. She went over to where Ulrich held Odd. With Ulrich's cooperation, Yumi wrapped the cloth around Odd's arms tightly, binding them to his sides. Once he was restrained, they picked him up and put him on the bed. Ulrich grabbed his shoulders and started shaking him.

"Stop it! Odd, wake up now!" Ulrich shouted at him.

Odd just snarled at him.

Yumi moved in closer. She didn't want to do this, but she saw no other choice. She slapped Odd across the cheek. "Wake up!"

Odd's head jerked to the side from thee impact. A light red mark appeared where he had been struck. He froze, no longer struggling against Ulrich's grip. His eyes slowly returned to normal. His expression softened. His breathing slowed down.

'What..what happened?' Odd thought to himself. He looked up and saw that Ulrich was holding him down.

"Is that you, Odd?" Ulrich said carefully.

"Who else would it be? Why are you holding me down?" Odd asked, narrowing his eyes. He saw Yumi and said, "What is this? Are you both watching me in my sleep? Spooky!"

Ulrich yanked Odd out of bed. He took off the cloth that binded him, freeing his arms. He took out some clothes and tossed them at him. Odd looked at the clothes in his arms in confusion. He looked back at Ulrich.

"Get changed." Ulrich turned to Yumi. "Go get Aelita and Jeremie. We are heading to the factory. Now." Yumi nodded and left without another word.

"What gives?! Don't I get a say in this?" Odd protested.

"Odd, you nearly tore me and Yumi to pieces when you woke up." Ulrich said. "That's why Yumi had to tie you up. You were totally out of it!" Odd looked at him, head tilted to one side in confusion. "We need to make sure Drain Claw hasn't...done something to you."

Odd pulled off his pajama top and put on the clean shirt. As he changed his pants, he looked up at Ulrich and said, "There's nothing wrong with Drain Claw other than it freaks the tail out of me. It's not doing anything to me."

Ulrich could almost taste the lies coming from the words the boy spoke. He folded his arms and shook his head. "I saw the look you made." Odd paused and looked at him. "Back on Lyoko. I saw how you looked at your latest victory using Drain Claw."

"What do you mean?" Odd asked as he finished putting on his pants.

"I saw that you looked satisfied." Ulrich confessed. Odd's eyes widened. "Yeah I saw that. I saw how you were looking happier and happier each time you used Drain Claw. Something is wrong with it, and I don't care if it takes Jeremie all night, but he is going to fix it. And he's going to fix it now!"

**sss**

Jeremie didn't have any plans on being in the factory this late. He had plans on getting some sleep for once. But that all changed when Yumi rushed into his room and woke him up. He was so tired he could barely make out what she was saying. He heard something about Odd and an attack and not much else. Groggy, Jeremie got up and got himself dressed.

He snuck out with his friends and they all headed to the factory. Ulrich was in the lead. There was a sense of determination in the way he walked. It was almost a run. He wanted to get to the factory as soon as possible. He would sometimes shout at them to hurry up. Jeremie, still sleepy, just rubbed his eyes.

Once they got the factory, that's when Ulrich relayed the information to him. Now he wasn't sleepy anymore. He was wide awake as shock overcame him. He stared at Ulrich, disbelieving at first. Ulrich explained Odd's behavior this morning, how he attacked Yumi out of nowhere.

"We have to get a scan done of him now!" Ulrich insisted. "I was lucky he didn't rip a piece out of me!"

Odd narrowed his eyes. He folded his arms and said, "Look, there's no need to..."

"Something is wrong and you know it." Yumi said firmly.

"You never acted like that before." Ulrich added in.

Odd shook his head. "I still don't see why we had to leave so late at night to run a scan. Can't it wait until tomorrow."

Ulrich growled, "No it can't."

Jeremie felt himself being pressured when Yumi and Ulrich looked at him, like he had the magic words that would make everything disappear. That was the downside of being leader. He had to be responsible for everyone, and if something were to go wrong, he was often the first person they turned to. He looked over at Odd.

Jeremie thought about the behavior Ulrich described. It was downright...feral...

"Get in the scanner room now, Odd." Jeremie demanded, a look of determination shining from behind his glasses.


	15. Canine Attack

The group headed to the scanner room. Odd was lagging behind. He didn't want to go. But he didn't try to run away. He would just be caught and dragged back anyway. They got into the elevator and soon they were at the lower level of the factory. The group walked, in unison, towards the scanner room.

Odd hesitated. A gesture from Ulrich prompted him to go towards the scanner. He wished they would just go home and do this tomorrow. He didn't understand why it had to be done right now. Besides, didn't they all have school tomorrow to worry about?

Just as he was stepping into the scanner, there was a loud beeping sound coming from the supercomputer. He paused and looked over in its direction. The others did likewise. They were surprised. It wasn't often that XANA attacked at night and them being aware of it. For once, they were glad they got up this late to go to the factory.

They ran into the supercomputer room. Jeremie jumped into the chair and clicked a few buttons. The activated tower appeared before him.

"There's an activated tower in the Desert Sector." Jeremie turned to his friends. "It will take time to figure out what his plan is. Odd, Ulrich, and Aelita, you go to Lyoko." He turned his attention to Yumi. "And Yumi, head back to the school. Look for anything suspicious on your way. Call me as soon as you find something."

"Got it." She said as she turned and ran to the elevator.

As Yumi rode the elevator up, the remaining three headed to the scanners. They each got inside one and the doors shut. Jeremie initiated the program to virtualize them. There was a flash of light and they were gone from the scanners.

**sss**

Jim stretched out his arms behind his back as he enjoyed a walk along school grounds. He normally patrolled at night, but tonight he wanted to relax. He had a particularly good day. Mrs. Hertz might be willing to go on a date with him. He hadn't had to deal with Odd's antics. He didn't hurt himself in gym today. Yeah, tonight's walk should be relaxing.

He walked by the cafeteria room. He stopped and looked inside. It was locked at these hours, but he was a teacher, so he had a key. He was hungry as a horse right now. He unlocked the door and went inside.

It was barren and empty. The lunch teacher had already gone to bed. That didn't stop Jim from walking into the back of the kitchen to help himself. Stored in the refrigerators were leftovers from earlier that day, food that the students didn't grab. Jim licked his lips as he got out a tray for himself and began to stockpile food on it.

He heard a rustling sound from outside. Pretty loud. He paused and looked out the window. He didn't see anything. He shrugged it off and went back to work picking out his favorite food. He only got a few seconds in before he heard another noise. It sounded like creaking, and then he heard a clang sound. He stopped what he was doing and stood straight up.

"Okay who is there?" Jim demanded. He looked around. There was no response. He growled softly. He folded his hands against his hips and spoke with as much authority as he could muster. "Come on out! You don't think you can fool me? Nothing gets by me! So just show yourself and I can decide your punishment!"

Still there was no response. He could hear something, or someone, was there. He couldn't see them anywhere, no matter which way he looked. Jim was a little unnerved, but still put on a brave face. He wasn't the type to succumb to fear easily. If these kids are trying to scare him, they have another think coming. He moved down the aisles, lowering his head every so often to find the culprit.

Aisle by aisle, he looked. Under each chair and table, he searched. He swept through the entire cafeteria. Still there was no signs anyone was here. He continued hearing small clangs, like someone was walking through. But he found no body to attach those clangs to.

He finally stopped, standing in front of the door. He rubbed the back of his head. A perplexed expression was reflected on his face as he looked around the room. Maybe he was just hearing things. He had heard it wasn't a good idea to constantly stay awake as late as he does. Maybe that had something to do with it. He shrugged his shoulders and walked back to the kitchen.

As he entered the kitchen, he saw something small moving around. He caught a glimpse of what looked like gray fur, but it moved too fast for him to tell. Jim quickened his pace and saw that his tray, once full of his favorite dinners, had been ransacked.

"What?!" Jim cried, grabbing his head in shock. "What happened here?!"

He saw there was a trail of food leading towards one of the refrigerators. It disappeared behind it. Jim slowly smiled.

"Ah so that's where you've been hiding." Jim walked over to the refrigerator. He grabbed it and started to pull it away from the wall. "Nice try, you little pranksters. But you ain't getting past old Jim!"

Once finished pulling the fridge, he looked around the corner, expecting to see one, maybe two rotten brats trying to yank his leg. Instead, he was greeted with the image of a small gray dog eating his food. It took him a few seconds to recognize this particular dog.

"It's you!" Jim growled. He held out his hands, arching his fingers. "This time, I am not letting you get away!"

Kiwi looked up at Jim. He instantly started growling, baring his teeth. His eyes flashed briefly. For a second, XANA's symbol displayed in his eyes, momentarily replacing his pupils. Before Jim could react, Kiwi lunged at him and pushed him into the ground. Jim let out a scream that could be heard outside the cafeteria.

**sss**

Jeremie finished virtualizing Aelita, Odd, and Ulrich. As soon as the three were completely inside Lyoko, he felt his phone vibrate. He looked down and pulled it out. He saw that it was Yumi. He flipped his phone open.

"Jeremie! I think I found out what XANA targeted!" Yumi was difficult to understand. She was breathing heavily. Jeremie guessed she must be running from something.

"What did you find out?" Jeremie asked.

A few heavy pants before Yumi could respond. "He's...taken control of dogs..." He let out a few long heavy breaths. "Oh I need to rest."

Jeremie raised an eyebrow. "A couple of dogs wore you out that fast?"

"That's not it." Yumi said between her heavy breathing. "One of the dogs bit me. I think it..injected something into me."

Jeremie's eyes widened. He wondered if this was a repeat of the zombie epidemic they had to deal with before. If it was, he would have to act fast. They were almost too late last time.

"I saw Kiwi chasing Jim. He's possessed as well." Yumi managed to say before going silent again.

Jeremie said, "Thanks Yumi. Try to find somewhere safe to hide. The others will try to deactivate the tower in time." He hung up the phone and put his head set on. In an urgent voice, he said, "Hurry and deactivate the tower. It should somewhere south of you!"

"Who was that on the phone, Jeremie?" Aelita asked.

"It was Yumi. XANA's taken control of the neighborhood dogs, including Kiwi." Jeremie informed them.

Odd's eyes narrowed. "XANA's targeted my diggity dog again?!"

"Yeah and it looks like he's using him, and other dogs, as his tools." Ulrich said as he looked over at him. "Let's go get that tower deactivated now!"

Odd lowered himself on all fours. His tail swished irritably behind him. "I'll teach XANA to mess with my dog!"


	16. Weakening Of Control

Yumi felt nauseous. She rubbed her head. A hand on her stomach. She tried to hold back the urge to vomit. What gripped her more than the nausea was the overwhelming tiredness that swept through her body. She just wanted to curl up and go to sleep.

She ran only for a few minutes. She felt a pang in her heart. She had to slow down. She moved slower and slower through the forest. She bumped into trees constantly. She found it harder to maintain her balance. She finally stopped and pressed her shoulder against the bark of the tree. She leaned on it for support as she looked behind her.

She had gotten some distance in front of the dogs. But nature loves to prove just how pathetic the human body is when compared to animals like dogs and cats. The dogs caught up to her quickly. There was a pack of about ten of them, a couple small ones and a bunch of medium ones. Drool dripped from their jaws as they chased after her.

Yumi felt too weak to continue running away. She craned her head up. There was a branch close enough for her to reach yet high enough so the dogs can't get to her. She used whatever strength she had left and climbed up the tree. She lay on the branch, her arms folded under her chest, and stared down at the dogs.

"Why am I cast as the damsel in distress so often?" She joked half-heartedly before letting her eyes half way close.

The dogs below her encircled the tree. They snarled and snapped at the air. Some of them jumped, barely missing her by an inch. Yumi was glad that XANA didn't give these dogs any powers aside from enhanced strength. The last thing she needed right now was a bunch of electricity shooting canines.

She heard the creaking of a branch above her. She looked up. Her vision was starting to blur a little. She could still see well enough that it was Jim. She'd recognize that red suit anywhere.

"Jim?" She managed to croak out.

Jim, hanging onto the branch, looked down at Yumi and his eyes widened. "Ms. Ishiyama! What are you doing here?" Yumi didn't reply. He noticed her eyes were starting to close. "If you wanted to sleep, you should have thought about that before you left your dorm!"

"Jim..I don't...I don't feel good." Yumi said, rubbing her forehead.

"What's wrong?" Jim said with concern. Before Yumi could reply, she threw up all over the ground. Jim winced at the sight. "We need to get you to the nurse pronto!"

Yumi cracked open one eye. She looked down and she saw that Kiwi had joined in with the other dogs. She made a small smile. "And how do you plan on getting past the pooch squad?"

A grin spread on the man's face. "Don't you worry about that." He pressed his thumb against his chest. "Good old Jim's got it all figured out! It's going to take a lot more than a small group of mangy mutts to stop me!" He began to move closer to where Yumi was, careful not to slip off any of the branches. "Now let's get out of this tree."

**sss**

So far, the Lyoko Warriors had been very lucky. XANA hadn't sent any enhanced monster at them. Everyone they encountered, they managed to defeat without the dreaded Drain Claw. A couple of Tarantulas and Krabs and a large group of Krankrelats had showed up to try to slow their progress down. And one by one, they went down via Laser Arrows, Energy Fields, and Ulrich's swordsmanship.

There were a large amount of monsters in their way. They continued to push through. They managed to dodge most of the attacks. Odd and Ulrich got hit at least once and Aelita twice. They were, luckily, not devirtualized. They attacked their enemies, defeating them in a single shot to the XANA eye.

They wondered why XANA would send out such weak monsters to defend the tower if he had access to more powerful versions. They thought it best not to question it too much. It wasn't like they wanted to fight those monsters again. Jeremie had yet to upgrade their weapons to deal with the evolving healing factor the monsters appeared to be getting. They considered it lucky that they encountered any normal monsters at all nowadays.

Ulrich let out a yell as he punctured his sword through the final Krab. The thing staggered a little on its legs before exploding. Ulrich landed a few feet away from it, one hand pressed against the ground. He turned to face the others. "I think that was the last monster."

Aelita turned in the direction of the tower. It was straight ahead of them. She took a few steps towards it, her eyes narrowed. "No, there's a few more over there." She raised up her finger and pointed.

Sure enough, despite all the immediate monsters being destroyed, there were more that they didn't see. From around the corner near the tower, three Megatanks showed up. They rolled into position. They turned to face the Lyoko Warriors. Their bodies opened, revealing their Eye Of XANA and red webbing that connected their two halves together. One by one, they shot out a wide beam across the ground.

The trio jumped out of the way just as the beam sailed past them, barely missing them. They ran behind a large boulder for cover.

"Isn't this just wonderful!" Ulrich's voice was laced in sarcasm. "This is all we needed!"

Aelita peaked over the boulder. The Megatanks were getting closer. "They're coming over here. We need a diversion." She looked over at Odd, who was already grinning like a kid in a candy store. "Odd, you know what to do!"

"Aye aye, princess!" Odd said, saluting her. He climbed over the boulder and began running towards the Megatanks. "Hey! Wanna piece of this?" He shot a Laser Arrow just as a Megatank opened up its body to shoot. The arrow hit dead center and it exploded. He waved to the remaining monsters. "I have more where that came from! I'm a generous guy, I'll share with you!"

As Aelita and Ulrich made their way towards the tower, Odd ran, feline style, across the sector with the two remaining Megatanks on his tail. He started to feel a little strange running on all fours like this. He shook it off. He never felt weird before doing this, so why start now? He looked behind them to make sure the monsters were still following him.

He turned around a boulder and pressed his back against the wall. He looked over his shoulder. A Megatank rolled in. He turned his head the other way. They were near the edge of the land. He smirked as he got an idea. He jumped out of his hiding spot, immediately grabbing the attention of the monster.

"Come and get me, rolly polly!"

The Megatank rolled after him. It started to close the distance. Odd continued to run towards the edge. He narrowed his eyes as they got closer. The last second, he lunged to one side. The Megatank, unable to stop, rolled off the edge, its own momentum becoming its worst enemy.

Odd waved as the monster fell into the Digital Sea. "Bye bye, handsome!" He moved back as the pillar of light thrust upwards, indicating a deleted monster. He heard a crack behind him and turned around. He smiled and said, "I haven't forgotten about you."

Odd lowered himself on all fours again. He hunched himself, staring at the large ball-shaped monster. He then sprinted. He pounded the ground with his hands and feet, pushing himself to move faster. Behind him, the Megatank was inching closer. He heard it click open and he leaped to the side to avoid another laser attack.

He turned around and stood on all fours. Instinctively, he hunched his back like an angry cat and let out a yowl, with some hissing mixed in. He widened his eyes, shocked by this behavior. He shook his head and reminded himself to focus. He looked back at the Megatank. It opened itself up again. Odd's eyes became unfocused, wild-looking, and he ran towards the monster like a lion towards a gazelle. His surroundings were lost to him. All he knew was his target.

Leaping in the air, claws fully extended, Odd let out an inhuman cry, lips curled up to bare his teeth. He landed on the Megatank. Without thinking, he jabbed his elongated claws into the Megatank and started to drain its source codes.

He watched as it started to melt and disfigure slowly. Cracks spread through its body and started to wrinkle sharply inward. The wiring inside started to rot, turning a pitch black. They loosened and detached, causing the halves to fall to the sides. The color rapidly drained until there was none left. Like all the others, it burst into data and floated away in the air.

Odd stared horrified at what he had done. Then slowly, without him realizing it, a small yet twisted smile spread across his face.


	17. Desperation

Ulrich and Aelita were getting closer to the tower. No other monsters had showed up yet. Ulrich hoped it stayed that way. He looked over and had seen Odd use Drain Claw again. He winced and turned away, not wanting to watch the grotesque scene going on over there. He looked up ahead and scanned the horizon. He listened for Jeremie.

So far, no additional monsters to face.

He stopped several yards away from the tower. He let Aelita run out in front of him. He pulled out his swords, prepared to fight in case a monster showed up at the last second. He carefully watched Aelita and her surroundings as she ran up to the tower. Ulrich only relaxed when she entered the tower without any additional problems.

Ulrich put his sword away and stood there waiting for Aelita to do her work. He hoped that she would be in time to save Yumi. He wondered how she was doing right now. He bit his lip at the thought of her being hurt.

_'Please be okay, Yumi.'_ He thought.

**sss**

Back on the school grounds, things weren't going too well for Yumi and Jim. The large man was cradling Yumi in his arms as he ran towards the building. He had thought it would be an easy trip, but the dogs complicated things more. Again and again they nipped at his foot. He thanked himself for wearing thicker pants this night. He hadn't gotten much of a scratch on him.

He looked down at Yumi. The poor girl was fighting for consciousness. He had seen she was bitten by the dogs. There was a wound on her where she was bit, still bleeding. He wanted to treat her, but he had no materials with him to do so.

He could see how infected the wound was. It was getting more and more swollen by the second. Something was clearly wrong with these dogs. He frowned as he jumped over one of the smaller dogs trying to block his path. He knew the girl's only chance was if he got her to the nurse's office stat. He reckoned she wouldn't last too long once she fell asleep totally. He tried to keep her awake.

Gently shaking her, Jim said, "Now, now, Ms. Ishiyama. No napping! You've gotta stay awake, okay?"

Yumi cracked open an eye. She looked up at Jim. "It's getting hard to stay awake, Jim."

"I know. But listen, if you fall asleep you might not wake up again! Hold on, we're almost at the infirmary, and you'll get treated there!" Jim said.

Just then, a dog jumped into the air. It landed on Jim's chest and knocked him onto his back. He let out an oof sound as he collided with the concrete. Momentarily dazed, his grip on Yumi loosened. The dogs had a clear target. Before Jim had time to react, a large dog grabbed Yumi by her leg and dragged her out.

Soon the pack of dogs was upon her. Yumi tried to fight back. Nausea stopped her. She covered her face with her arms in an attempt to protect herself. She tried not to scream as the dogs sank their teeth into her, tearing into cloth and flesh. Soon the pain became too much for her. She let out a cry.

Jim rubbed his head and looked over where the dogs where. He gasped in horror when he found the pack of ten or more dogs scrambling around Yumi. He thought he saw a small amount of blood. He rushed over.

Yumi saw a glimpse of Jim running for her. She struggled to push one of the dogs off her chest. "Help!" She cried as a dog bit down on her arm.

**sss**

Ulrich felt something move behind him. He turned around, readying his sword. He scanned the horizon, looking for signs of movement. He saw a shape move through the rocks. He couldn't get a good enough look at it. He narrowed his eyes. Had XANA sent another monster? Something tugged at his stomach, telling him something was wrong. If XANA did send a new monster, why hadn't Jeremie said anything?

He looked over where he had last seen Odd. He noticed he was no longer there. He looked around for the feline warrior, and saw no traces of him. Was Odd the one moving through the rocks? Why would he do that? Maybe to locate some monsters, but it wasn't like Odd to hide away like that.

Then again, Odd hadn't been himself lately.

He saw a flash of movement, a blur of purple. Ulrich whipped around fast. He was just in time to see Odd in mid air, paws stretched out to the sides like a lioness pouncing on its prey. The claws were extended fully. Odd's lips were pulled upwards and he snarled at Ulrich as he collided with him.

Odd's arms wrapped around Ulrich's body tightly, locking him in his hold. The two rolled across the virtual desert floor. Ulrich's arms were pinned to the side. He felt Odd's claws start to press into him. They finally stopped rolling, with Odd pinning Ulrich into the ground.

Ulrich looked up in shock. Odd's teeth were bared. His eyes were wild, pupils unnaturally wide. He could hear hisses and low growls emit from his throat. Ulrich tried to struggle, but as he did, he felt the claws puncture into his body. Ulrich's eyes went wide as he felt something being drained from him.

"Odd..stop this...!" Ulrich cried, trying to get away. His cries fell in deaf ears. "Odd, please!"

Odd's response was to bite down onto Ulrich's shoulder. Ulrich cried out in pain as Odd tightened his jaw on his shoulder.

**sss**

Jim rushed to Yumi's side. He pulled off the dogs and tossed them away. Kiwi jumped up and bit Jim on the hand. He yelled in pain and smacked Kiwi away, causing him to crash against the side of the building.

Yumi looked up at Jim and watched him as he desperately fought to save her. Another dog bit him on the hand, creating a bigger wound. She widened her eyes as she saw him start to feel the effects of whatever was in the dog's mouths. He staggered a little and held his head. She was surprised when he still stood and fought off the dogs.

It took several seconds, too many for Yumi's taste, for Jim to clear the dogs away from her. He scooped her up in his arms and turned to make his way towards the nurse's office. The dizziness induced by the dog bites caused him to make a wrong turn and soon he and Yumi found themselves backed into a corner by the possessed dogs.

Jim set Yumi on the ground and stood in front of her. "You want a piece of me? Come get me!"

"Jim..wait..." Yumi cried out. She couldn't stop her gym teacher from running towards the dogs. She closed her eyes and looked away. She heard a snarl. She reopened her eyes and almost screamed.

One of the dogs got past Jim. It was Kiwi. The gray dog advanced menacingly on her, his eyes flashing the Eye Of XANA rapidly. Yumi's eyes went wide as Kiwi lunged at her, mouth split wide open to bite her.

**sss**

From within the tower, Aelita made it to the top platform. Time was of the essence. She hurried over to the center of the platform. She pressed her hand against the monitor that appeared out of nowhere. It prompted her for a password, asking for a code. She entered Lyoko.

"Tower deactivated." She said in a whisper as the data around her fell down.

**sss**

Yumi turned her head away, prepared for an attack. When none came, she looked over and saw that the dogs had fallen to the ground, knocked out cold. She saw the specters leaving their bodies, floating up in the air to return to their master. She gave a sigh of relief.

This was short lived. She saw Jim's condition. He was on the ground unconscious as well. Several bloody wounds were spread all over his hands and parts of his arms. She tried to get out her cellphone to call for help, but her arms were so weak she couldn't even lift it up. She felt her eyelids grow heavy. She couldn't help but close them.

She hoped that Jeremie would know to launch a Return To The Past. It was the only thing she felt would save her and Jim. Soon her world grew dark and she let unconsciousness take her over.

**sss**

Back on Lyoko, Aelita walked out of the tower. She turned up to Jeremie and was about to say something. She was stopped when she saw Ulrich being attacked. As she got closer, she was horrified to see that his attacker was none other than Odd.

Ulrich was struggling to get Odd off of him. The cat boy bit down harder on his shoulder, prompting a scream from him. Ulrich's colors were starting to fade. Aelita saw that Odd had stuck his claws into him. She realized he was using Drain Claw on Ulrich. She froze for a moment, and quickly acted.

She rushed towards the pair. She formed a ball of pink energy. She waited until she got close enough, not wanting to miss. "Energy Field!" She shouted as she tossed the energy ball towards the pair. It collided with Odd and caused him to fling away from Ulrich.

Odd tossed and rolled across the floor. He landed on his stomach and was temporarily dazed. Aelita was amazed he wasn't devirtualized yet. She looked down at Ulrich. She bent down and helped him up to his feet. The boy looked worse for wear, but was still alive.

Ulrich rubbed his head as his color slowly started coming back. "Thanks, Aelita..."

"No problem." Aelita said. She heard a snarl. She looked over and saw Odd started to run at them all fours. He looked very much like an angry cat, his tail puffed up in rage.

Ulrich readied his sword. Aelita prepared to shoot at Odd. She looked up towards the sky and shouted, "Jeremie! Hurry! Do a Return..now!"

"Return To The Past. Now."

A white light enveloped them. It covered over Odd's body just before he could attack his two friends. The light also raced over Yumi and Jim's bodies, and the world was covered in whiteness, if only for a few seconds. Then it was dark.


	18. Not So Bad

Odd's eyes fluttered open. He let out a groan. He had a massive headache and he didn't know why. He rubbed his head, massaging the muscles there. His vision was blurred at first, but quickly sharpened. He took a look at his surroundings.

He found he was still in the scanner. The door was open part way. Moaning, he got up to his feet. His legs were wobbly. It was hard to move. He walked over and pulled the door the rest of the way open.

Once he was out, he fell to the ground, hitting his knees hard. He held himself up with his hands. He gave heavy pants. Why was he feeling like this? It felt like he got hit with a bag of stones. The front of his head was hurting him so badly. Staggering all the way, he managed to get into the computer room, where his friends were.

He was surprised to see Yumi there. Wasn't she supposed to be at the school? He ran his fingers through his hair. Did they do a Return To The Past? And if so, why didn't he remember it being activated? Return trips weren't something he easily forgot. He doubt the others would forget either.

As Odd got closer, trying not to fall over, he saw that Jeremie was looking at some data on the screen. He rubbed his eyes. He thought he could see a model being displayed. He moved in closer, but each step was harder and harder. Finally he just collapsed on the ground.

That's when his friends noticed him.

"I see you finally woke up, Odd." Ulrich said. There was a tinge of anger in his voice. Odd blinked at him, wondering what he did. Ulrich's hard expression softened slightly. "Come on, I'll help you up." He went over and grabbed Odd by the arm and pulled him to his feet.

Aelita smiled at him. But Odd could tell there was a hint of fear in her eyes. This made him wonder, again, what he did. "You'll feel better soon, Odd. The rematerialization just put a bit of a shock to your system. That's all."

"What..what happened...?" Odd murmured.

Ulrich and Aelita stared at each other. They looked back at Odd.

"You..attacked Ulrich." Aelita said, her voice filled with regret.

Odd was still groggy, but he registered that. His sleepy eyes widened. "I did what?"

Ulrich said, "You used Drain Claw on me. If Aelita hadn't knocked you off, I would have been killed."

Odd found this hard to believe. He shook his head slowly. His sleepiness was rapidly giving away to horror and realization. He pulled away from Ulrich and took several steps back. "Wh..why would I do that...?"

"That's what I'm finding out." Jeremie said, typing away at his keyboard. A second later, he tapped on one of the keys hard and turned his chair around. "And I do believe I figured out what might be causing the problem." The others turned to him, their curiosity peaked. Jeremie pointed at the model of Odd's Lyoko form. "The supercomputer had picked up something."

On the monitor, they could see several exclamation points all over Odd's Lyoko model. It displayed the same warning message it did when they were checking Odd's right eye. Data was compromised and there was possible corruption.

This sent chills down everyone's spines. Well everyone except Odd. For some reason, Odd didn't feel any fear in regards to what was happening to him. He stared at the red exclamation points blankly. Though his eyes widened just slightly, he couldn't bring himself to be worried about it. He didn't know why. It was confusing.

Jeremie explained what the computer was telling him. "There's something inside of Odd that's spreading. It's infecting more and more of him. I can't tell what all the effects are, but based on what I'm seeing here..." He paused for a moment and closed his eyes. He looked at the others. "We have to find a way to stop it. I fear it may be..fatal."

Yumi and Aelita gasped. Ulrich's eyes widened, but he remained still. Odd pretended to be surprised. He looked towards the ground. That spreading material, it had to be the cancer. He was no longer afraid of it. He had accepted it. He looked at the others. Except for Ulrich, none of the others knew, at least for now. Unless Ulrich told someone behind his back.

Ulrich hesitated. He wanted to tell Jeremie what the substance was. He wanted to inform the others that it was blood cancer. He held back. Could he really deliver such terrible news to them? That was the kind of news that basically said_ 'There's nothing you can do, so just give up'_. That's what it sounded like to him.

He looked over at Odd. He could see the boy was staring right at him. Ulrich shuddered as he saw the look in Odd's eyes. Something felt wrong about them. Odd was completely still and blank-faced, yet something burned in his eyes. Something that didn't seem right about him. He felt it was because of the cancer he was diagnosed with. He was taking it really hard. Still, it was uncomfortable to look at him with that expression. He turned away.

"What can we do, Jeremie?" Yumi asked.

Jeremie looked back at the screen. "I don't know yet. I will need to analyze the data. I might be able to think of something in the coming weeks."

"We don't have weeks!" Yumi cried. "What if it gets worse?!"

"Look why don't you all go back to school?" Jeremie said, adjusting his glasses. "I will stay here with Aelita and we'll work on the data. We might come up with a solution faster." He looked over at Odd and gave him a concerned smile. "Don't worry, we'll figure something out."

Odd gave a quiet nod. "Yeah, sure." His voice was small and barely audible.

"Come on, buddy." Ulrich said, getting by Odd's side. He began to guide him out of the factory.

Yumi followed close behind. She stopped only to give Jeremie a stern look. A look that said that she was going to get on his case if he didn't keep his word. She stepped into the elevator with Odd and Ulrich and headed up.

**sss**

Odd sat down on his bed. He watched as Ulrich laid down on his. He guessed the boy was very tired. Almost right away, he put in his ear plugs and was fast asleep. He didn't even bother pulling the covers over his body.

Odd looked out into space, staring into the wall. Kiwi was asleep as well, curled up against the dresser. He stared at Kiwi for a few seconds, getting a strange feeling welling up inside of him. He shook it off. He wrapped his arms around his knees and hugged his legs to his chest. He wanted to go to sleep, but something was keeping him awake.

His mind continued to wander to Jeremie and Aelita. He knew they were just trying to help, but he couldn't let go of this angry feeling he had inside his heart. Was he mad that they were looking through his data? Could he really be furious with them just being helpful? He shook his head. Maybe he was just more tired than he thought.

He recalled what Ulrich told him. He had attacked him on Lyoko. He had dug his claws into him and tried to drain his code. He almost killed his best friend.

At first, he was horrified by this. But that time, using Drain Claw, it felt almost...right. There was a pleasurable feeling he couldn't shake off. He couldn't help it. He was beginning to love Drain Claw.

And was it really all that bad? After all, it is saving them from XANA's evolved monsters. And why should they care about what happens to the monsters anyway? Odd couldn't fathom a reason to truly care. Sure, he did feel bad at first. Then he reminded himself of everything the monsters did to them. By following XANA, did they not deserve it?

He got up out of bed and walked slowly up to Ulrich. He stared down at him, remaining still. Should he feel bad about hurting Ulrich? He was in the way. He flexed and arched his fingers. His eyes grew wide and intense. His pupils enlargened.

Ulrich's eyes opened up. He saw Odd staring down at him, looking eerily calm. Ulrich pulled out his ear plugs and started to sit up. He rubbed his eyes and said, "Odd? What is it?" He noticed Odd's body was trembling. Slight, but it was still there. "Are you all right?"

A small smile spreading across his face. "I'm fine..."

Ulrich's eyes widened. "Odd...?"


	19. The Cancerous Code

Jeremie looked at the computer screen, staring at its contents. He had just finished another test. The computer did some more scanning, skimming through Odd's model like a saw. He flinched as he saw more errors, but so far, the supercomputer hadn't been specific on just what it was. He looked over at Aelita. She looked very worried as well.

He wanted to figure out what was wrong with Odd tonight. That's setting high goals for himself. But while he told Yumi it could take weeks or months, truth was he wanted to get it done tonight. That was why he had Aelita stay behind. She may be able to spot something he didn't. And the sooner they figure it out, the sooner they can help Odd.

The spreading mystery stuff garnered the most worry about of the pair. The model displayed where it all spread to. It almost filled the model, with only small areas around the head unfilled. The substance was moving, growing in size. It was almost like a cancer, and it was spreading like wildfire.

Aelita leaned in towards the screen. She stared at the mass, moving about. Something about it seemed familiar to her. She narrowed her eyes as she took herself down memory lane. There was another time she and the others had seen something that moved like this.

She then remembered. It moved much like the Marabounta that Jeremie designed. She stared harder at the screen. It was not exact, but it came very close. She recalled Jeremie still had the program he used to design it.

"Jeremie, do you still have that program you used to create the Marabounta?" She asked.

This prompted Jeremie to look up at her nervously. "Y-Yeah..why..?" He recalled what happened the one time he activated Marabounta. It was something he didn't like to think about.

"Use it to gather data on this substance." Aelita said. She had her finger pointed at the screen. "The mass moves around like Marabounta did. Maybe the program will recognize it and we can get a more in depth look at its data."

Jeremie blinked at her. Why hadn't he thought about that? He turned back to the screen. Without saying a word, he opened up said program. It took a little while to relearn how to navigate it. He hadn't touched it since the Marabounta incident. When he figured it out, he initiated a scan with the program and had it target Odd's model.

He and Aelita watched as the program sent light lines through the mass inside Odd's model. One went diagonally, one went up and down, and one went from side to side. The lines made several passes before disappearing. The program popped open a new window, showing a progress bar. It filled up with a green color.

Once it was finished, it popped up a new window. It showed a very long list of code. It was a written source code of some kind. There were countless lines of it. Jeremie looked through it up and down, scrolling down slowly. He couldn't believe how much information was here. It would take him all night to read through all this, if he were lucky.

But luckily he didn't have to. Aelita recognized part of the code right away. She widened her eyes and took a step back. She shook her head in disbelieve. It couldn't be true, could it? She couldn't think of a reason how it would be possible. Yet the data was right before her.

Jeremie heard a small gasp from the pink haired girl. He craned his head and looked up at her. "What is it, Aelita?"

Staring the screen, trembling slightly, she whispered, "That's...that's Therizino's code..."

Jeremie snapped his eyes wide open. He pulled his head back quickly. "What?" He looked back at the screen. "Therizino's..code? Are you absolutely sure?"

Aelita swallowed and nodded her head. "Or at least part of it. I recognize this sequence..." Aelita took a step towards the computer. She wished she was misreading. Unfortunately, she was not. "If..if I remember right, this code was located around or on the tails. I...I remember seeing it just before I.." She trailed off.

Jeremie knew what she meant and didn't press her further. He stared at the computer screen in absolute shock. How did a piece of Therizino get inside Odd? Could this have been the cause of his problems this whole time? He looked through the code some more. He couldn't believe that all this code belonged to this substance inside of Odd. Now that he knew what it was, he could begin work on trying to get it out of him.

He and Aelita nearly jumped when he heard a noise from behind them. It sounded like the elevator doors opening. They looked at each other, both wondering the same thing. Who could be coming back here at this time of night? They thought that Yumi, Ulrich, and Odd would all be sleeping now.

Jeremie pressed a button to bring up surveillance. A screen popped up, showing the inside of the elevator. There was only one person in it. And it was Odd. He was standing in the middle of the elevator, a blank expression on his face. It was almost like he was sleep walking, but Odd wasn't known for that.

"I wonder what he wants." Jeremie pondered.

"Maybe he wants the results early?" Aelita suggested.

They heard the doors behind them opening. They didn't bother turning around. They waited for Odd to come up to greet them. They heard light foot steps, but they stopped. The two were confused and when they looked over, Odd wasn't there.

"Strange.." Aelita narrowed her eyes. "Maybe he went back to bed?"

"Odd? I highly doubt it, Aelita." Jeremie looked around, trying to find Odd. "He wouldn't come all this way just to...okay Odd where are you?!" He was getting frustrated. There wasn't even that much room to hide here. It was just like Odd to find a way to play hide and go seek in this room. "Come on out!"

Suddenly, something large and heavy was thrown in the air. Jeremie's eyes widened and before he could react a metal bar hit against his chest, knocking him out of the chair. He laid on his back, groaning in pain.

"Jeremie!"

Aelita ran to his side. She knelt down beside him and stroked his hair.

"Ugh...what hit me..?" Jeremie groaned, reaching up to rub his head. He collapsed back down.

Aelita looked over at the source of the attack. She gave a sharp gasp when she saw Odd standing there. His expression was largely blank. The only sign of emotion on his face was a small smile on his face. His pupils were so wide she could barely see the color of his eyes. His fingers were arched as if he had claws.

"Odd! What did you do that for?!" Aelita cried in disbelief.

Odd started walking towards the pair slowly. Slowly, he bared his teeth, his smile stretching a little wider. "I would step away from the computer if I were you..." His voice was uncomfortably low and soft.

He lowered himself down to the ground. He planted his hands on the ground. He let out a soft growl, and then charged at Aelita and Jeremie, unleashing the loudest most beastly snarl they ever heard come from him.

**sss**

Ulrich let out a long, drawn own moan. He opened his eyes. The little light in the room, from the moon, was enough to hurt his eyes. He shielded them. He slowly rose up off the ground, sitting down with his legs crossed. He hurt everywhere. He rubbed the back of his head. What happened to him?

He looked at the ground. His vision was a little blurry. He shook his head to correct this. He turned his head towards the ceiling. A feeling of dizziness struck him. He held his head and he cringed towards the ground. He couldn't figure out why he was feeling so painful right now. It was like he was hit in the head with a brick or something.

He rubbed his forehead. He felt something warm and sticky on it. He pulled his hand back. He widened his eyes when he saw a streak of blood.

"How...?"

Had they been attacked last night? Did someone sneak into the room? Ulrich's mind raced. Then he remembered about Odd. He looked over at his bed. Had he been hurt too? He looked closely and saw that Odd was not in his bed.

"Oh no..." Ulrich crawled up to his feet. He held his head gingerly. "I..I have to tell J-Jeremie..." He began to walk out of the room, his legs wobbly and unsteady.


	20. Blood Blackened

Aelita screamed as she held up the iron bar in front of her for protection. Odd slammed against her and the two tumbled across the ground. He got her pinned on her back. He grinned wildly at her. She stared up into his dilated eyes, her own eyes widened in fear.

"Snap out of it!" She cried out at him. She looked over at Jeremie. He had hit the ground harder than she thought and he was still out of it and confused. She was on her own. She looked back up at Odd. His expression never changed. "Please! Don't let it control you, Odd!"

"Control me?" Odd's cool voice sent chills down her spine. "It is me."

Odd pushed down harder on her. Aelita grunted in pain. Her eyes shut tightly, she started to push back. She managed to get Odd off of her a little. It wouldn't last long. She cracked open an eye and looked up at him. She saw an opportunity and took it. Mustering up as much strength as she could, she kicked him in the shin.

With Odd doubling over in pain, Aelita got up the ground and took several steps back. She held the metal pole in front of her, preparing for a fight. She didn't want to hurt Odd, but she might not have a choice. Odd rose off the ground and she shuddered at how unnatural it looked. He looked over at her and just smiled. He came for her again.

Aelita pulled her weapon back. Not wanting to hurt Odd too badly, she struck at his leg. It scraped across the skin. Odd let out a yelp of pain, sounding more like a cat than a human. She almost screamed at what she saw.

The end of the pole had cut into Odd's skin. It wasn't deep, but it was enough to induce some bleeding. But Odd's blood wasn't the normal color it should be. It was not dark red.

It was pitch black.

Aelita started trembling at the sight of it. Slowly, her horrified gaze met Odd's eyes. He looked at the wound and touched it with his fingers. He brought up his blood stained fingers and looked at it closely. He still smiled, never faltering. He looked over at Aelita.

"Did you know my blood is black?" He asked in the creepiest voice Aelita ever heard. He made his way towards her again.

Unsure of what to do, Aelita prepared to strike again.

**sss**

Ulrich had a hard time standing on his feet. A few times he almost tripped over, despite nothing being in the way. He had to stop and hold his head. The dizziness was getting to him again. _'Oh man, what hit me?'_ He asked himself. His head was pounding like a hammer was being struck against it. He tried to fight it. It became impossible to do.

Down the hallways, he walked. He wobbled from side to side, the line he was walking being far from straight. He constantly hit against the walls of the hallway. He had to lean against them to rest. He let out a few pants. He tried to remember what had happened to him. His memory was so fuzzy. He was hit in the head harder than he thought.

His body still ached. He didn't have any more injuries. He checked. The only one he had was the deep cut on his forehead. He felt it. It was still dripping with blood. He paused and looked down the hallway to make sure he wasn't tracking blood. Being thankful that he wasn't, he marched on.

Soon he was outside the school. He wasn't sure how he managed to avoid being caught by any of the teachers, like Jim, with all his unsteady walking. But that didn't matter now. He had to get to the factory. He had to tell Jeremie that Odd was missing and form a search plan.

He walked into the woods. He slammed into a tree about three times. His foot catching on a root made him fall on his face once. He gained a couple bruises and scrapes. He looked like he was beaten up. It would take a while for him to explain that there was no fight.

He was worried about Odd. Who would sneak in Kadic so late at night to kidnap one person? He hadn't noticed any signs of struggle. The blankets were pretty neat, at least by Odd's terms. There was no sign of a break in. It was almost like Odd walked out on his own. But that wasn't like him. Odd would never leave this late at night and not tell someone about it.

Ulrich's eyes widened at the possibility of knock out gas. Maybe the intruder used some sleep gas in the room to knock them both out. Maybe he had tried to fight but was hit. Then the intruder got Odd and left, leaving Ulrich unconscious on the bed.

He clenched his hand into a fist. Whoever did that to Odd was going to pay. Out ahead, he could see the factory in the distance. He quickened his pace.

**sss**

Jeremie slowly opened his eyes. He rubbed his head and sat up. He tried to remember what happened. He looked around. He didn't see anything at first. He wondered if Aelita had gone home for the night. Wait, that couldn't be right. She would have told him, wouldn't she? And why was he on the floor? He wasn't that clumsy.

Memories floated back to him like a tidal wave when he saw Aelita trying to fight back a deranged Odd. He gasped loudly. What in the world was wrong with Odd? What had gotten into him? Jeremie rushed over and grabbed onto Odd's arm before he could attempt another attack on Aelita.

"Stop it! What's wrong with you, Odd?!" Jeremie held on tightly. He shuddered as he looked into Odd's eyes. The irises were nearly gone, replaced with an unusually large pupil. Odd just smiled at him and shoved him away. "Aelita!" Jeremie cried as he struggled to stay on his feet. "What's going on?!"

Aelita, still wielding the metal bar, just stared at Jeremie, eyes wide with fear. "I don't know! He just came in here, acting like this!"

Odd lowered himself on all fours again. He jumped at Aelita feline style. She managed to side step him in time, and he crashed into the ground. He got right up again and lunged at her a second time. Jeremie, eyes wide, rushed over. He got between her and Odd, and he ended up being the one pounced on instead.

"Jeremie!"

Odd's smile had been replaced with a feral expression. Snarling like a predator, Odd bit down on Jeremie's throat. Jeremie, completely surprised by such an attack, struggled frantically on the ground. Odd bit down harder, his teeth pushing against the skin painfully. Jeremie could feel his breathing start getting a little labored. He was thankful Odd didn't have the bite force of a real carnivore.

It was getting harder to breathe. He pushed against Odd, trying to get him off. Aelita rushed over and wrapped her arms around Odd. She pulled backwards. Working together, the pair managed to get Odd away. Aelita held onto him, but it didn't last long. He twisted himself free and turned his attention to her.

During the struggle, Odd had received a couple more injuries. She could see more black blood staining his body. Some of it got on her and Jeremie. The sight of it still horrified her. It didn't even have the same consistency as real blood. It was a tad thicker. How was Odd still alive?

The elevator doors opened. Aelita and Jeremie turned and were relieved to see Ulrich coming in. The boy was immediately taken aback by the scene playing out before him. He opened his mouth to say something, but Jeremie had cut him off.

"Quick, Ulrich! Knock him out! He's gone crazy!"

Ulrich looked around for a weapon. He saw that Aelita was carrying one, and he rushed over towards her.

"May I?" Ulrich asked her politely. Aelita gave him the bar wordlessly. Ulrich walked up to face Odd. He didn't want to fight him. But what other choice did he have? "Come on, why don't you try me on for size?" He said in a challenging tone.

Odd hissed at him and ran in his direction. Ulrich positioned himself, waiting for him to get close enough. Odd jumped and tried to pounce him. Ulrich moved away and as Odd sailed past him, he struck down on him. The metal bar hit Odd against the side of his face. He fell to the ground, eyes closed.

Ulrich stared down at him, wide-eyed. He hoped he didn't hit him too hard. He looked over at Jeremie and Aelita, who ran up to join him.

"We need to remove the black goop from his system." Jeremie said as he stared down at Odd's prone form.

"And how do we do that?" Ulrich asked.

Jeremie shook his head sadly. "I don't know. But I will figure something out. I promise."


	21. An Unexpected Correlation

Jeremie eyed the code up and down. He must have been studying the code for hours now. He was hardly half-way done reading. He must have read parts of the code a hundred times. It helped that Aelita was there. She was the only other member of the team that could understand computer jargon like he could. Yumi might have some understanding, but wouldn't be enough. And forget about Ulrich.

Odd had been successfully restrained. He was still out cold, but he stirred a few times. They thought he would wake up soon. They had him tied up with ropes so he couldn't attempt to attack them again. Even if he were completely normal when he woke up, Jeremie said it was too much of a risk to let him free until they figure out how to cure him.

The deranged boy had been put up against the wall. Ulrich stood by him, leaning back. He occasionally looked down at Odd, looking for any sign of movement. As soon as Odd started to struggle, Ulrich was assigned to hold onto him and restrain him. They didn't want Odd to hurt them again, and they did not want him hurting himself. Yumi stood close by as well to offer help in case Ulrich needed it.

Jeremie thought he figured out how to help Odd. The code in the data indicated that the code could be 'sucked' out of him through his model's skin via a special ability. He couldn't figure out what this ability was. He would have to be in Lyoko for that, but with the upgraded monsters, that was becoming a risk. He didn't want Odd to be devirtualized during the curing process, or he could be lost forever in Lyoko's vast virtual database.

Jeremie sighed in frustration. It would take him longer to figure this all out. He needed more time. Yet they did not have that kind of time. With Odd going nuts like this, the sooner he figured it out, the better. He was getting a headache already looking through the code. If only he could figure out what could absorb the black stuff from Odd's body...

He widened his eyes in comprehension. Earlier, he and Aelita discovered the black material was related to Therizino. They couldn't be sure if this black stuff came directly from her or not, but it was a component of her. He thought back to how Therizino behaved and what her powers were. She had electrical powers, and if he recalled right, Odd did say something about how the black stuff kept those powers in check.

According to Odd, Therizino drank the material. He thought it might have given her more than what she said it did. It was just a hunch on his part, and Jeremie initially disregarded it. After all, as the joker of the group, not all of Odd's comments were taken seriously. But now Jeremie wondered if Odd was really onto something.

Maybe there was a special relationship between the mysterious black goop and electricity. Perhaps they went hand in hand, with the black goop being attracted to it and binding with it, providing insulation and concealment for whoever had these powers.

Thinking about it, Jeremie realized it made sense. On the cliff side in their final battle against Therizino, he recalled her suddenly screaming after he knew her spheres had broken. The black goop had escaped her body, causing the electricity to go out of control. It started hurting Therizino when it did not before. The black goop must have been protecting her somehow, containing it and letting her wield it like a weapon.

The black goop had fallen with Therizino. It may have been because of gravity, or maybe because the electricity was concentrated largely on her. Some black goop leaked out of Odd's eye, as Yumi described. The black stuff may have been what Therizino used to help link herself to Odd to torture him. She must have been able to send electrical signals because of the black goop's relationship with electricity.

Jeremie stared over at Odd's prone form. Was that why Aelita's idea to electrocute him when he was choking to death worked? Did the sudden electrical discharge displace the black stuff, causing Odd to escape the horrible psychosis that Therizino locked his mind into? As bizarre as it sounded, Jeremie didn't think it could be anything else.

He knew what he had to do. There was only one thing he could do to help Odd. He hoped he could work fast enough.

But he wouldn't be able to do it without first taking care of some precautions. He looked over at Aelita.

"I think I know how to help Odd." He said in a low voice. He didn't want the others to hear. Not yet.

Aelita leaned in closer. "What did you figure out?"

"The black goo, whatever it's called, it's attracted to electricity. It almost binds with it. It allows someone to use electrical powers without hurting themselves." Jeremie explained. "That was why Therizino was suddenly in pain in our last fight with her. The black goo that protected her had escaped, leaving her vulnerable to her own internal power."

Aelita nodded in understanding. Jeremie turned back to the computer screen.

"I need time to create a program to absorb the stuff out of him. But it may take me all night." Jeremie said. "I need Odd to stay here."

Aelita interrupted him. "But wouldn't that cause problems? If this takes too long, someone is bound to find out Odd isn't at the school."

"Which is why I am counting on you and the others to keep suspicions as low as possible." Jeremie explained, pushing his glasses up. "You guys will have to cover for me and Odd. Say we're sick in bed or something."

"I don't think that's a good idea." Aelita narrowed her eyes.

"Hm? Why not? It's worked before." Jeremie asked her.

"Yeah but one problem." Aelita shook her head slowly. "The other times, there wasn't a dorm inspection." Jeremie's eyes widened at this. "Didn't you know? Jim mentioned it the last time we were at phys ed. He's checking the dorms tomorrow." She paused, realizing the time. "Well today actually. Around noon, early afternoon."

"I don't believe it." Jeremie held his head in his hands. "And knowing him, being sick won't be an excuse."

Aelita shook her head. "No. He'll just use the key to come in anyway."

Jeremie groaned in frustration. "What am I going to do now?"

"I'm sure you'll think of something, Jeremie." Aelita tried to comfort him. "You always do."

"Odd's waking up!"

Ulrich's voice snapped the pair's attention over to them. On the ground, they could see Odd starting to move. His eyes were fluttering open. A few moans escaped his mouth. Aelita and Jeremie walked over cautiously, staring at Odd. Ulrich and Yumi looked just as concerned. And for good reason. No one knew how Odd would react.

Odd groaned again, turning onto his side. His eyes slowly opened. He turned his head to look upwards, at no one in particular. His blue eye and brown eye scanned the area briefly. At first, he was out of it, not reacting to anything. He looked completely out of it, like he wanted to go back to bed.

Then he started to become more aware. He looked around the room, left and right. He looked lost, and didn't seem to know where he was. He looked scared, and trembled for a few seconds. He opened his mouth to speak, but only whimpers escaped.

He started thrashing violently, screaming. The group took a step back in shock. Odd struggled on the ground, crashing against the wall and floor. His pupils grew tiny and his eyes were practically bulging. He looked around the room wildly, and when he saw the others, he suddenly took on a more hostile stance.

"Ulrich! Yumi! Grab him!" Jeremie ordered.

The pair nodded to each other and went to grab Odd. Yumi grabbed his legs while Ulrich grabbed his upper body. They pushed him onto the ground and held him there. Odd thrashed against their hold for what seemed like half an hour.

Aelita and Jeremie stared in horror as Yumi and Ulrich barely managed to hold Odd still. The boy was still totally out of it. He had, twice, tried to bite Ulrich's hand in self defense. Watching this scene play out before them was depressing. It was always hard to fight against one of their own. This was no special case.

Finally, Odd's struggles started to weaken. He tugged with less and less vigor as the seconds passed. Soon he stopped struggling altogether. He lay limp on the ground, still being held by Ulrich and Yumi. He panted heavily, his face red from his fruitless efforts to escape. Slowly, he looked around, his pupils returning to their original shape.

He managed to speak, his throat scratchy, almost unrecognizable. "What is...wrong with me...?"


	22. Repossession

"But Jeremie..." Ulrich protested.

Jeremie shook his head. "No buts, Ulrich. You guys need to get your sleep." He adjusted his glasses. "I can handle this on my own, I swear."

Aelita stepped in. "Ulrich's right. Jeremie, I don't think you should be doing this."

Jeremie looked away from her. "I can do it, Aelita." He faced her. "If I do need help, I'll text one of you guys."

Jeremie decided to send the others hope. He wanted them to get some rest. They stayed up very late and he didn't want them to have Jim waking them up. Nobody ever wanted to be woken up by that man. The only one staying behind was Odd. He believed Ulrich could find some kind of excuse for why he wasn't in the room yet when Jim arrived for inspection.

He planned on sending Odd to Lyoko. For the moment, the boy had regained control of himself. He still wasn't entirely the same. He was quieter and more reserved than he usually was. That was at least better than him trying to bite everyone's throats out. Once in Lyoko, he would commence writing a program to remove the black stuff from his system.

Nobody was happy with this plan. For one, he would be all alone. Should Odd lose it during the process, he could attack him. Even if he were on Lyoko, once devirtualized, he would go after Jeremie. Even Odd was unsure of this idea. One of the few things he said since he regained control was that he did not want to hurt Jeremie.

Jeremie was confident that he would be fine. The others felt he could get too confident at times. There had been times where his overconfidence nearly came with a price. And he himself knew and understood this.

But still, Jeremie was not backing down.

"What if he gets out of Lyoko while in that...that trance?" Ulrich asked. He looked at Odd with a sideways glance. "I don't think you could take him by yourself if he did. He would be too much for you to handle. He was almost too much for me and Yumi to take on even when we worked together. Jeremie, I don't want you to get hurt, especially by one of our own."

Odd winced a little. He remained quiet.

Jeremie gave a small smile. "I can lock the scanner doors, Ulrich. So if Odd does lose himself to the black stuff again, and if he gets devirtualized, with a few strokes of the keyboard, he will be stuck in the scanner." He leaned back, his expression brimming with pride. "It would take him a long time to claw his way out of that."

"And what if he gets out?" Yumi folded her arms and leaned against the wall. She raised an eyebrow and said, "What then?"

"Yeah..." Odd's quiet voice chimed in. All eyes turned to him. "What will you do?"

Jeremie hesitated. He hadn't thought about that. He had been counting on Odd being so scrawny that he couldn't open up the scanner doors in time. There was the chance he was wrong. He did not think of a back up plan. What would he do if Odd got out while under the influence?

He looked at his friends. They stared at him expectantly. They were waiting for him to answer. And he didn't doubt they knew what he was going to say. He tried to think of something, anything. A plan that would get them to trust him. He could think of nothing. He lowered his head.

"Okay, I confess. I don't know what I would do then." He lifted his head back up. "But please, I can take care of myself. I'll...think of something, if it comes to that. You can trust me."

At first, no one said anything. The others looked at each other and then turned their attention back to Jeremie. Their expressions hadn't changed. Frowning, stern, uncertain. Jeremie didn't need them to speak for him to know they didn't think he could do this alone. He wished they would have more confidence in him. He could do this, couldn't he?

After moments of silence, Yumi made the first move. She walked up to Jeremie. A hand rested on his shoulder now. "I know you want what's best for us. I understand the pressures you feel being our leader. But Jeremie..." She gripped both his shoulders. "..we are not going to abandon you now. If Jim gets angry with us, we will deal with it."

"Yumi.." Jeremie started to say.

"And don't take no for an answer, Jer." Yumi said sternly, a smile spreading across her face. "We are with you all the way on this. We are not going to let you do this alone."

"Yeah." Ulrich joined in with Yumi. His arms pressed against his chest, he smiled down at the boy with glasses. "Sorry, buddy. But you are not getting rid of us that easily."

"We stick together." Aelita went up to Jeremie's side. She slung her arm around him and said, "That's how we pulled through against XANA, am I right?"

The only one who hadn't spoken in this was Odd. He didn't think there was anything he could say. He wanted to be supportive, but how could he? He was the threat now. That was why he kept to himself, sitting on the ground near the wall. He knew the others still cared about him and wanted to help him, but the guilt was overwhelming him.

Jeremie gave a sigh of defeat. He glanced at each of his friends. He gave Odd a worrisome look. Perhaps his friends were right. "Okay..I see I am not going to change your minds anytime soon, am I?"

"Nope." Yumi said with a smile.

"All right then...I hope you understand the risks..." Jeremie said.

"Jim might be a tough obstacle to face." Aelita said. "But it's worth it, if it means finding a way to save Odd."

The others nodded in agreement.

"Then get in the scanners."

**sss**

Kiwi lifted up his head and gave a yawn. He looked at his surroundings. He looked over at his owner's bed. He saw that Odd was not there. He tilted his head, giving a confused whine. He trotted over to the bed and jumped onto it. He put his nose to the mattress and sniffed.

As he did this, a black smoke shot out of the nearby outlet. Kiwi was so focused on sniffing around that he did not notice the black smoke, a XANA specter, lurking behind him. The smoke moved in closer. It dove in, but when Kiwi jumped off the bed and moved towards the door, the specter missed possessing him.

Kiwi scratched at the door with a single paw. He let out a few whimpers. He jumped up towards the door knob, trying to grab it with his teeth. He kept failing. When he landed on his back, he finally noticed the specter. Kiwi stared in what looked to be shock. Then he shot up onto his four legs.

Body haunched, tail straight up, Kiwi started to snarl at the ghost. Something like recognition seemed to glean from his eyes. Kiwi lunged at the specter. He went straight through. He turned around and jumped again. He snapped at the air. His teeth went right through the ghostly figure.

The specter moved towards the little dog. Kiwi ran towards a corner of the room. He growled and snarled at the specter. This did not intimidate the specter. It shot towards the dog. Kiwi's eyes widened as the black smoke entered his body. He let out a cry and collapsed on the ground.

When Kiwi opened his eyes, the XANA symbol flashed in them.

**sss**

"Oh no...not now.." Jeremie's eyes widened in horror. Of all the times this could happen, why did it have to be now?

He heard Aelita's concerned voice. "Jeremie? What's wrong?"

Jeremie didn't say anything. He made a few clicks, studying the image before him. He hoped it was a mistake. He hoped there was a chance that the supercomputer could create a false positive. But nothing before him indicated this was the case.

"No..."

"Jeremie!" Ulrich's voice yelled. "What is it?!" There was a tinge of impatience in his voice.

"XANA's activated a tower, you guys." Jeremie said, adjusting his headset.

"Now?" Aelita gasped.

"Yes. We will need to take care of the tower first." Jeremie said. After a few keystrokes, he said, "The tower is in the Ice Sector. Head to a Way Tower now."


	23. Upgraded

Kiwi lifted up his head, pointing his XANA eyes up to the air. He gave a few sniffs. He gave a few small growls as he detected something. He walked forward, his paws pressing against the short grass. The trees around him swayed. The wind was picking up. He did not react to it.

Behind him, sounds of whining and snarling rose, mixing together to create a choir of sorts. Kiwi stopped, twitching his ears. He looked behind him, his eyes flashing. A large group of canines walked through the trees, meeting up with him. XANA symbols flashed in each of their eyes. Kiwi gave a single bark at them and moved on. The dogs followed suit.

**sss**

The Lyoko Warriors rode on their vehicles. Aelita was with Ulrich this time, holding onto him as he sped across the icy ground with his bike. Following close to his sides were Odd and Yumi. Odd was holding onto the board with his hands, tail flying back behind him. This posture worried the others. Was he going to lose it again?

Odd seemed to sense their worry. He gave them a quick salute and a grin. It was the first time he smiled in some time. It did help make them feel a little better, but they couldn't help but be cautious. And now, they had something else they needed to worry about.

"XANA did what?" Yumi asked, her voice filled with disbelief. "But he just did that not even three days ago!"

"I've never known XANA to try the same thing twice so close together." Ulrich commented.

Jeremie's voice overhead showed no signs of joking. "I checked the news and one of the local shelters says their dogs went missing. It happened around the same time XANA activated a tower. I don't think it can be a coincidence."

Odd growled lowly. "Einstein, do you think that XANA got a hold of Kiwi again?"

"I don't know, Odd." Jeremie said. "When I find out, I will let you know."

"Because if he did..." Odd's claws extended a little unconsciously. His body shook once due to the built up tension. "I will make him pay."

This attitude worried the others. Odd was normally never this hostile. The way he spoke, it was just dripping with venom. They had to hurry and get the tower deactivated before something happened to Odd. So far there were no monsters in the area, and they hoped that there would not be. The use of Drain Claw might sink Odd back down into that trance.

Their fears became a reality. They could see the activated tower. It wasn't far from them. But something else came into view as well. A couple of Tarantulas. They were positioned in front of the tower, their cannon arms ready to fire.

They didn't see any other monsters, but that relieved no tension. If XANA only sent two Tarantulas to guard the tower, it must mean that they are one of the evolved monsters. Only Odd's Drain Claw could kill them.

"Oh great..." Ulrich said as he and the others stopped. "How are we going to get past that?!"

"A diversion perhaps?" Yumi suggested.

"Oh no. Odd is usually the one to get that job, and with how he's been acting lately..." Ulrich protested.

Odd shot him a glare. "What? You don't think I can handle distraction now?"

Ulrich glared back at him. "The last time you had that job, Drain Claw made you go mad. You almost killed me!" He winced at the memories of the claws sticking into his body. "Sorry, but I won't let it happen again."

Odd narrowed his eyes at him. "Fine." He folded his arms. "Then who would you suggest?"

Ulrich revved his vehicle. "I'll be the one to do it. Odd, you and Yumi escort Aelita to the tower. If more monsters show up, please Odd, I'm begging you..." Ulrich's expression softened up, his eyes widening. He shook his head slowly and said, "..don't use Drain Claw..."

With that, he disappeared, racing towards the Tarantulas.

**sss**

Kiwi continued to lead the dogs through the forest. He paused a few times to sniff. Occasionally, he would change direction. The other dogs sniffed around as well. But only Kiwi knew what they were looking for and where to find it.

The small dog stopped in an opening. The grass swaying over his feet, he looked down. A manhole was secured in the dirt. He gave a snarl and barked at it. A couple of large dogs came over. Using their jaws, they lifted it up and dragged it away.

One by one, the dogs jumped through the opening. Kiwi was first. He landed on the concrete below. He looked up and waited for the other dogs to appear. After about a minute of waiting, all the dogs were present and accounted for.

Kiwi turned his attention to their new location. A concrete tunnel with cold water running through the middle of it. They were in the sewers now. He gave a few growls and walked slowly through the tunnel. The dogs followed close behind.

**sss**

Ulrich rushed over to the Tarantulas. He narrowed his eyes. He tightened his grip on his vehicle. He couldn't mess this up. Even if the Tarantulas do not chase him, all he needed was to detract their attention. And that shouldn't be too difficult. He increased his speed and drew closer to them.

Now the Tarantulas spotted him. They raised their arms and started to fire in rapid succession. The shots hit close to Ulrich, barely missing him. He revved his vehicle and continued heading towards the monsters. He dodged their shots. Once he was close enough, he rammed into them, knocking them over.

That did it. Both the Tarantulas were now focused on him. He ran his vehicle in circles in front of them, once in a while driving back into them. He managed to avoid being hit, but he chalked that up to just dumb luck. He was worried the tension would eventually wear on him. His job was important and if he slipped up, it could lead to disaster.

Just how Odd manages to do this with a straight face, without breaking a sweat, he will never understand.

The Tarantulas started to chase after him. It was kind of funny to watch. Their legs were so long and spindly that it was awkward for them to do much, let alone run. But for all their awkwardness, Ulrich learned quickly that when they want to, Tarantulas can really move. Already they were closing in the space between him and them.

As he led them away, he could see Aelita, Yumi, and Odd getting closer to the tower. He smiled at them. This plan just might work out after all. He looked out in front of him, continuing his job of being the distractor.

While Ulrich was busy getting the Tarantulas away from the guarded tower, the remaining three made their way towards the cylinder structure. They got closer with each second. They hoped that Ulrich's distraction would buy them enough time. The tower was just ahead of them now. If only their vehicles could go faster...

"Krab!" Jeremie's voice suddenly sounded out.

Suddenly, they were halted. Something jumped out of the air, landing just in front of them. They were so surprised that they crashed into the creature. They were tossed through the air in different directions, crashing into the ground painfully. When they regained their bearings, they got up to see what had stopped them.

It was a Krab, like Jeremie said. But it was a little different. Its coloration was darker than a normal Krab and it was a little larger. Closer inspection revealed it was covered in small spiky bumps on its legs and the ridge of its circular body. The Krab looked down at them, not making a move.

"So much for that plan." Odd murmured. He got off of his hover board and glared up at the Krab. "You ladies go on ahead. I'll take care of this thing."

"But Odd, what about..." Aelita started.

"Just go!" Odd yelled at them. He glared at them with an intense look. It caused them to shrink back. Realizing what he did, Odd calmed himself down. "Just..go...please. I'll be careful. I promise." He gave them a grin before turning his attention back to the Krab. 'I hope I know what I'm doing...'


	24. Sinking Back Down

_'Why did I volunteer to do this?'_

A few heavy pants. Feet pounding the ground. The Krab stomping towards him.

_'I should have known this was a bad idea...'_

Odd dared to glance behind him. The Krab was pounding towards him. Its extra weight was obvious. It shook the ground heavily with each step it took. It was gaining speed, forcing Odd to move faster. He hoped Aelita and Yumi could get to the tower before the dumb beast decided to turn around.

He kept it well hidden, but he was actually terrified. He felt his heart racing the longer the chase went on. It was not the monster itself that he was worried about. Oh it was powerful and it was going to be hard to beat, but that was the problem. He was afraid of what was going on inside of him. His body was screaming at him to use Drain Claw. He fought the resistance as hard as he could.

But he didn't know how long he would last. Most of his mind wanted to use Drain Claw. Most of him love it. Most of him had given into it. Only a small portion was keeping him sane. There wasn't much of his human mind left. He could sense it. And that tiny portion left was scared of what was going on. With whatever humanity he had left, he would use it to buy time for Aelita and Yumi.

He made a turn. The monster followed. He was between two tall sheets of ice. The pathway narrowed. Odd stopped in his tracks. He couldn't go anywhere. He growled in frustration. He wanted to curse at himself for making such a stupid move. He turned around, holding out his fist to prepare for a Laser Arrow launch.

To his surprise, the monster stopped too. It was about halfway in the tall frozen canyon. Its body was too wide to fit through. The Krab let out a few shrieks as it tried to free itself. It frantically clawed the ground with its feet. The sound of scraping ice coursed through Odd's ears.

At first, Odd was thrilled about this development. The monster won't be able to reach him. And it was stuck, meaning it couldn't get out and go after Aelita and Yumi. Then he realized that he himself was the one who was in danger now. His eyes widened as the Krab fired a shot at him. With so little space to maneuver, the cat boy could barely manage to get out of the way. The beam grazed his shoulder, causing a little life point loss.

Odd gripped his shoulder, hissing in pain. He glared up at the Krab. He could feel his mind start to lose it. He was caving in. He felt his claws extend fully. Without time to stop himself, he lunged at the Krab, yowling loudly. He landed on the beast's back. He stood up on two legs. The Krab shifted its weight trying to look for him. Odd raised his paws in the air and, with a yowl, struck down hard, pushing the claws deep into its back.

He watched with twisted satisfaction as the monster's body distorted underneath him. He smiled darkly as its colors faded, as it caved in on itself. The empty shell of a monster now lay on the ground, barely resembling a Krab anymore. It burst into data and flew away in the Lyoko air.

After a second, Odd realized what he did. He shook his head in denial, staring at his paws. His will to resist Drain Claw usage was rapidly weakening. The side of him fighting it was fast losing strength. He took a few steps back, staring at the ground where the upgraded Krab once was.

Suddenly, a wave of pain hit him. He clutched his head in his cat-like paws. He crouched to the ground, hoping the pain would subside. It did not. It swept through his body. He could feel it damaging him.

"Odd! You're almost out of life points!"

That confirmed it. Something was in that monster's data. Something that was working against him now. He had been poisoned. In seconds, he devirtualized.

**sss**

Back on earth, Jeremie had his eyes glued to the screen. He had hardly been talking because so few of XANA's monsters were appearing. Now that was changing. He saw a group of Hornets. Their stats were unusually high. He held his breath as realization sank in. Had XANA managed to fully upgrade his monsters now?

He saw them heading towards where Yumi and Aelita were. They were fast. Incredibly fast. They would get there before Aelita could get into the tower. He gripped his headset's mouth piece.

"Aelita! Yumi! Watch out!" Jeremie ushered the dire warning. "There's a group of Hornets coming after you! They've upgraded!"

"More of those?" Yumi's voice groaned. "I guess Odd has more distraction to do."

"I'm afraid not. He's been devirtualized." Jeremie said.

A moment of silence. He could have sworn he heard a gasp.

"Without Odd, we don't have a way to defeat these upgraded monsters." Aelita said softly.

Yumi said, "Well that's just great..."

Jeremie wished he could do something to help. He wished there was a way for him to quickly upgrade his friends' weaponry. He knew it was possible. The XANA-Franz Hopper managed to pull that off. Maybe the upgraded weapons could deal with these evolved monsters. He could look through the data and...

No, that was impossible. XANA wouldn't keep code like that laying around. He would have deleted it. He wouldn't allow such data to be used against him. Jeremie could try to look, but he was certain XANA would have deleted all trace of the code he created to upgrade his friends' weapons.

He slammed a fist against the keyboard. What else could go wrong?

"Jeremie? What do we do?" Aelita's voice came through the speakers.

Jeremie gritted his teeth and stared at the display. He saw the Hornets coming in ever closer. He was certain Yumi and Aelita could see them by this point. There was only one thing they could do.

"One of you will need to distract them." Jeremie said.

A pause.

"Ulrich already took that job." Yumi spoke.

"And it looks like it's your turn, Yumi." Aelita chimed in. "After all, we all know only I can deactivate the towers."

Yumi was clearly not liking this. Yet even she had to admit that Aelita was right. She was the only one who could fulfill that role now. "All right then. I'll do my best." The sound of her opening one of her fans could be heard.

"Okay Yumi, I'll..." Jeremie's voice was cut off by a loud bang. He let out a cry of shock.

"Jeremie? Jeremie, what's going on?" Aelita's concerned voice called for him.

"Hold on, I'll be right back." Jeremie said.

He took off the headset, got up, and moved towards the sealed door. He heard the clang again. It sounded like it was coming from the lower level. He got into the elevator and headed down.

As he did, he realized he hadn't seen Odd yet. It had been several minutes since his devirtualization. What took him so long to get up to the computer room? He widened his eyes at the possibility of something happening to him. Maybe that's what the clanging was all about.

The elevator doors opened. He stepped out and looked around. At first, he saw nothing. He walked a little ways down. He looked to his left, then to his right. Still no sign of anything. He was about to turn around, thinking the clanging was nothing, when he heard a loud crash, like a door being broken down.

Jeremie jumped back as he heard the sounds of pounding feet. Something, a lot of somethings, were running this way. Gritting his teeth in worry, he watched as a pack of dogs came running through the building. And leading them was Kiwi.

"Oh no..." Jeremie took a few steps back. The dogs had already seen him. "Nice doggies..."

He stumbled back into the elevator. He pounded on the button to make it go up. He kept hitting it harder and harder as he watched the dogs in fear. They were running towards him now, baring their sharp fangs. The door shut, preventing the dogs from getting in. Jeremie let out a sigh of relief.

"That was close..."

"Yes it was." A low voice said.

"Yah!" Jeremie screamed. He looked over and saw Odd standing there. "Odd? How did you get in here?"

"Oh, same way you did." Odd said. He sounded unusually calm.

Jeremie didn't like the sound of Odd's voice. As they went up to a higher level, back where the computer room was, Jeremie could not shake off the uncomfortable feeling. Odd seemed to be in control, but it sounded like he could snap at any moment. He kept his distance from him.

As soon the elevator doors opened, he got out as fast as he could. Odd looked at him strangely, almost confused. Jeremie just wanted to get back to helping Aelita and Yumi. Maybe, if he was lucky, they had gotten to the tower already.

But to his dismay, they did not. And to make matters worse, he realized the dogs had found the stairs. He heard them barking. Faint, but growing ever louder in each second. He could hear a small growl emit from Odd's voice. Jeremie couldn't help but shudder.

Before he knew it, he could hear the dogs breaking through the door above them. The door was swung open hard. The dogs, barking, came running in. Immediately, Odd's head shifted up to them. Jeremie stifled a gasp when he saw Odd's pupils enlargen and his teeth baring. Jeremie moved a few steps back.

As the dogs drew closer, Odd let out a cat-like hiss. He got onto his hands and feet and arched his back. The dogs, all of them, had their attention focused on the blond and purple haired boy. And all Jeremie could do was watch as the fight began to unfold before him.


	25. Odd VS The Dogs

Yumi cursed to herself. How did she let herself get stuck with this job? How did she convince herself this was a good idea? At first she did agree with what Jeremie and Aelita said. Aelita had to get to the tower after all. But couldn't there have been another way? One that didn't involve getting chased down by supercharged Hornets?

She hid herself behind a boulder. She glanced over the side. The Hornets closed in on her. They formed a circle around the boulder. She growled softly. There was nowhere she could go without risking getting hit. No matter which way she looked, a Hornet was facing her. Their tips glowed, ready to strike.

Yumi activated a fan. "Okay, XANA, is this how you want to play?" She inched her way along the edge. She peered over just enough to see part of one of the Hornets. "Fine."

Without making a sound, she tossed a fan at the Hornet. It cut through its body. The Hornet made a screech sound. It did not get deleted, but it provided a good enough distraction. Yumi bolted from her hiding spot and ran towards where she last saw Ulrich. He would appreciate the backup, and so would she.

The Hornet she struck had now recovered. It charged in her direction. The others followed close behind it. The group of insect-like monsters closed in on Yumi. The japanese girl was running as fast as she could. She dared a quick glance behind her. She wasn't sure if another fan attack would work on them now.

She dodged their shots from shear luck. The energy blasts were hitting very close to her. She could see steam rising from them. She winced. They never did that before. XANA really upgraded their power this time.

Yumi decided to take a risk. She stopped and turned around. "You want a piece of me? Here, take it!" She tossed another fan in their direction. It struck a Hornet on the side, dazing it. The fan came around like a boomerang and struck two more Hornets.

While the three Hornets were dazed, Yumi made a run for it. There were a lot more Hornets than just three, but hitting a few of them was enough to cause confusion in the swarm. She smiled to herself, grateful that these monsters weren't very intelligent. The same thing might not have worked on if she were put up against...

A foot stomped down next to her. Yumi jumped back, finding herself staring down a barrel hole. "Tarantula!" She gasped.

The Tarantula stood in front of her, aiming its cannon arms at her. It was blocking her path. She was on a somewhat narrow pathway now. The Hornets would be coming for her. And the Tarantula was a barricade she would have to cross.

Yumi nervously pulled out a fan, activating it with a flick of the wrist. She hoped Aelita deactivated the tower soon.

**sss**

Jeremie could not believe the ferocity of the fight playing out before him. He had never seen Odd this insanely aggressive before. He had never seen a battle like this before. He kept his back pressed to the wall. He didn't want to get himself caught up in this mess.

Odd was running around on all fours. The dogs lunged at him from all sides. The blond kept making yowling and hissing sounds. He bit down on the dogs' legs and ears. He swatted at them, pushing them away. This did not stop the dogs from biting him. Black blood poured out of each opened wound. It stained the fur on most of the dogs.

A dog jumped onto Odd's back. Hissing, he twisted his body around and grabbed the dog in his arms. He bit down hard on the dog's ear, drawing blood. The dog let out a yelp and wriggled its way out of Odd's grasp. It retaliated by biting Odd on his left shoulder. The young boy let out a cry of pain.

He kicked the dog off of him. He flipped onto his hands and feet. He hissed at the next dog approaching him. Kiwi, his own dog. The small gray dog leaped towards him. Saliva dripped from his mouth like he had rabies. Odd ducked to avoid getting bit. He sank his teeth into Kiwi's leg, prompting whines from the little dog. He threw him into a couple of dogs approaching him from the side.

Jeremie watched the scene in horror, gripping the sides of his head. He wanted to help Odd in some way. He could see a piece of metal on the ground he could use as a weapon. He realized that would be impossible at this point. There were so many dogs surrounding Odd that it would be hard to get a hit without hurting Odd by mistake.

As Jeremie watched the blurs of the fighters, the blood drip on the ground, as he listened to the cries of pain emit from both Odd and the dogs, he slowly came to a realization. XANA had not been random when he chose to attack with dogs. And it was never Yumi XANA was after in the attack.

It was Odd.

Jeremie realized Odd's behavior resembled that of a cat. He and the others knew it was feral behavior, but he couldn't believe he didn't realize there was a connection between those behaviors being particularly feline and to XANA's attacks. He knew Odd was getting more cat-like by the day, and what better way to off a cat than with its natural enemy, the dog?

His fears were almost instantly confirmed. Odd let out a painful shriek and collapsed on the ground. Jeremie gasped as he saw all the wounds on him. His shirt and pants were torn. His arms, legs, and sides were cut up and bleeding ebony blood. The dogs closed in on him. A particularly large dog got on top of Odd's chest and belly. It lowered its head close to his face and neck, snarling viciously.

"Odd!" Forgetting about what danger he was putting himself in, Jeremie rushed over, wielding the metallic weapon he found. "Get away from him!"

The dogs looked over at Jeremie. Snarling and barking, they ran towards him.

**sss**

Yumi stood in a fighting stance. She glared at the Tarantula blocking her way. Behind her, the Hornets had closed in. They formed a semicircle around her. She couldn't turn back now. She could hear their stingers charging. She had to make this next move count.

As they shot, she closed her eyes for a moment, waiting until the right time. She snapped them open and jumped in the air. The shots grazed by her, and struck the Tarantula in the head. The large beast wailed in pain, stumbling backwards. Yumi took this opportunity to strike the Tarantula with the fan. This was enough to incapacitate it.

While the Tarantula wobbled around, trying to regain its balance, Yumi rushed over. She jumped on the monster's head and slide down its back. She got up, looked behind her, and ran off. The Tarantula shook its head. It seemed to realize it was tricked and turned its body around. It began to chase after her.

"Yumi!" Ulrich cried suddenly.

Yumi stopped and looked around for the voice's source. She saw Ulrich pinned against the wall by one of the Tarantulas. She rushed over to help him.

Ulrich glared up at the monster. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He kept barely missing getting hit using his swords as shields. He did get hit twice, and already he felt as though his life points were almost gone. If he got hit one more time...

Just was the Tarantula was about to fire another shot, Yumi landed on its head. She shoved a fan into the XANA symbol. She jumped off. The Tarantula screeched in pain and took several steps back. It started firing shots wildly. Yumi covered Ulrich with her body as the shots flew every where, hitting the wall they were pressed against.

A few shots hit the other Tarantula that was chasing Yumi. It was dead on the XANA symbol. The Tarantula glowed a dull red before exploding.

"I thought they couldn't be destroyed." Yumi said as she got off of Ulrich.

"I guess they cannot handle their own shots." Ulrich said. He turned to Yumi and smiled. "Thanks, by the way."

"No prob." Yumi looked in the direction of the tower. "I wonder if Aelita is close to deactivating the tower by now."

"I'm sure she is. Let's just hope that Einstein and Odd aren't in any danger." Ulrich replied. Yumi nodded in agreement.

As he said this, Aelita had managed to get to the tower. Not all the Hornets chased after Yumi. About three stayed behind to deal with her. Aelita had a hard time dodging them. With them being upgraded versions of the Hornets she was used to fighting, it was going to be tougher getting around them.

It was even harder without Jeremie's help, watching the screen to see if any other threats were coming. She was worried about him. He hadn't gotten back yet. She hoped he was all right.

Using her energy fields, she managed to disorient the Hornets long enough. She ran along the platform. They were coming in behind her. She could hear them. They wouldn't be able to stop her in time. She smiled as she got closer to the tower. She paused momentarily, staring up at the tower. She looked behind and saw the Hornets getting ever closer.

Before she could enter the tower, something strange happened. The tower made a sound it did when it loses power. She took a step back and looked up. The tower was no longer red. It changed back to a neutral white.

Aelita couldn't believe it. XANA had deactivated the tower.

**sss**

Jeremie screamed as the dogs pushed him into the ground. He kicked a few of them away. He held out his metallic weapon in front of him. He used it to block the dogs from biting him. He gritted his teeth as he felt their claws dig into his body.

A couple seconds later, all the dogs' eyes flickered. The XANA symbol vanished. All the dogs, letting out yelps, collapsed on the ground. A few laid on top of Jeremie. The boy looked around, shocked at first. Then he felt relieved. Aelita had deactivated the tower just in time.

He pushed the dogs off of him and walked over to Odd. The boy was knocked unconscious from the fight. He knelt down and eased him onto his back. He winced as he saw all the blood covering his body. He placed two fingers on his throat. He felt a heart beat. He sighed in relief.

He rushed over to the supercomputer. He pressed the key and said, "Return To The Past now!"


	26. Next Course Of Action

Jeremie stared at Aelita in shock. "What do you mean you didn't deactivate the tower?"

"Just as I said. I was in front of the tower, but before I could enter, it deactivated itself." Aelita explained. She was just as confused as Jeremie was. "I don't know why XANA called off the attack. It doesn't make any sense."

Jeremie rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "He almost had Odd. He wouldn't back down if that was his goal."

"Yeah, and from you said," Yumi said, her arms crossed, "We got lucky this time. How bad off is Odd anyway?"

Jeremie gestured over where an unconscious Odd lay. He had been bound with ropes. Jeremie saw the looks on their faces and read their thoughts. "I have to restrain him. He's lost it again. And it's more serious this time."

"What?" Ulrich asked, eyes wide.

"What do you mean?" Yumi asked, a tinge of fear in her voice.

Jeremie closed his eyes solemnly. "Whatever was left of his human mind...it's suppressed now." He held up a finger. "Not destroyed, but no longer in control. His mind is now like that of a feral cat. That was why XANA sent dogs after him." He looked at each of his friends. "XANA must know about Odd's condition. And so he sent dogs to 'kill the cat' so to speak."

"A feral cat...?" Yumi said in a low voice. Memories of Odd's assault after he woke up flooded her mind. "So the reason he attacked me..."

"..was because he was startled. And some startled cats will attack to defend themselves." Jeremie explained.

"And what about when he spoke to me all strangely before attacking?" Ulrich asked, holding out his hands in confusion. "I don't recall that being a normal behavior for cats."

Jeremie nodded. "Not at all. But I think it may still be linked, Ulrich." Jeremie interlocked his fingers. He adjusted himself in the computer seat. "The descent into feline mode for Odd's mind didn't happen suddenly, I suspect. Rather, it happened in intervals."

Jeremie paused for a moment. He let the others get this information sunk into their brains. When he saw their expressions change, he knew they understood what he meant.

He looked at Ulrich in the eyes and said, "I believe that when Odd displayed that strange behavior you mentioned, part of his human mind was eroded away. Morality is the most likely one I can think of. Without it, Odd would have begun to display abnormal behavior. His human mind would be in control, but he would still have become dangerous."

Ulrich lowered his head and thought back. Jeremie was right. Though Odd hadn't gone feral on him at that time, he had still snapped. The way he spoke, it was low and almost chilling. It was nothing like the Odd he knew.

Ulrich lifted his head. "Is there any way to return him to normal?"

"Of course there is." Jeremie said. "I told you before, Ulrich, all we need to do is get the black goop out of his body. It will not be a simple task. I inspected the black blood further and it binded with his blood. I haven't gotten very far in developing a program that will rid him of this black stuff without damaging his blood."

The group sat in silence. They stared in Odd's direction. They felt so lost right now. What could they do? Jeremie might be able to fix things. But what will they do in the mean time? And there was the chance XANA would attack. With Odd's mind more like a cat's now, he wouldn't be able to make rational decisions. He would easily be offed at a snap of a finger. Just like that.

They didn't know which was scarier. XANA trying to kill Odd, or the possibility he had other plans for the boy. Aelita's news of the deactivated tower brought a new angle in all of this. If XANA didn't want Odd to die, why did he sent those dogs after him?

Then realization struck. Ulrich was the first one to speak up. "He must want the goo inside of Odd..."

Yumi's eyes widened in comprehension. "You're right Ulrich. It all makes sense now."

"XANA must not be able to virtualize just the goo, if your theory is correct, Ulrich." Aelita said. She turned to Odd. "That's the only way him dying on earth would not benefit XANA in any way. We all know XANA will pull stunts like this only if it benefited him. He deactivated that tower, so it must have been in his best interest not to allow the dogs to kill him."

"I think we should head back to school now. The Return To The Past did return hours to us we can use for sleep." Jeremie spoke up, interrupting Ulrich's attempt to say something to Aelita. "We should all get some rest. The sooner we get that inspection taken care of, the sooner I can get started on the program without having to worry about Jim."

He started to walk away towards the elevator. He expected the others to follow him. When he heard no footsteps behind him, he stopped. He looked over his shoulder. His friends were staring at him, eyes slightly narrowed.

"What is it, guys?" Jeremie inquired. He saw their gaze moved towards the unconscious boy. "Oh."

Ulrich crossed his arms. "What are we going to do with him? He's in no condition to handle Jim tomorrow."

"Then we'll have to fall back on our earlier plan." Jeremie didn't like the plan too much, but what else could they do? "We will hide Odd and you just tell Jim Odd went somewhere. To the nurse's office or whatever else you can think of. Just give Jim a reason to believe Odd isn't intentionally skipping out."

Ulrich shook his head. He didn't know if he could do it. Yet he knew there was likely no other option. "Okay, Jeremie, I will try. But if it backfires..."

"Don't worry about that right now." Aelita said, interrupting Ulrich. "Let's just go back to Kadic now, before one of the teachers notices we are missing."

With that, the group started to leave. Ulrich lowered down and picked Odd off the ground. He carried him with him as he headed to the elevator. Luckily the boy wasn't very heavy so it was easy doing this. The elevator headed up.

**sss**

Hours later, as daylight shined into his room, Ulrich sat on his bed, fully dressed and ready for the inspection. On the bed across from him, Odd, still bound, laid on his side. The boy hadn't moved at all this morning. That was only because he used sleeping pills a couple hours ago. Odd was hissing and growling, and he couldn't let Jim witness that. He'd have Odd hauled away to the hospital for sure.

The pills were going to wear out soon, he knew. He hoped they would last long enough. It was almost time for Jim to inspect his dorm. At that moment, he heard footsteps. He looked up at the clock. 'Just in time...' He thought to himself. He took a deep breath, remembering the rehearsed speech in his head.

There was a knock on the door now. "Della Robbia! Stern! It's time for your dorm inspection!" Jim's voice sounded out from behind the door.

Ulrich got out of bed and brushed himself off. He picked up Odd in his arms and placed him in the dresser with Kiwi. He was thankful the boy was so scrawny. He fit in perfectly. He put a small blanket over him and the dog to conceal them should Jim open up the dresser.

Jim pounded on the door again. Ulrich groaned to himself. Did that guy have any patience? He shut the dresser and walked up to the door. He opened it, and found himself staring at a pissed off gym teacher.

"Stern! What took you so long?" Jim demanded.

"I was getting ready." Ulrich said in a calm voice.

Jim's arms were folded together against his chest. "Uh huh. You had all morning to be ready, Stern. Next time, don't dilly dally." The gym teacher walked into the room. The first thing he noticed was Odd was missing. "Where is Della Robbia?"

"He..." Ulrich faltered for a second. "He had to go to the nurse's office."

Jim narrowed his eyes. "Your little gang of friends are absent more times than any other student I can think of."

Ulrich stiffened up. Was this the last straw with Jim?

"But I'll let it slide for now." Jim said, his eyes closed. "I was young too, you know. Anyway.." He looked around the room. The inspection was beginning.

**sss**

The factory was quiet, like it always was when the Lyoko Warriors were away. The supercomputer was on standby mode. The scanner lights were off. Everything was basically in sleep mode to conserve energy.

Then there was a beeping sound coming from the computer. A few screens flashed on the monitor. They went so fast that if anyone were attempting to read it, they would get a headache just from trying. They wouldn't even be able to get a word in. A symbol flashed on the screen for five seconds. It was XANA's symbol, but it had a purple hued glow to it.

One of the scanners suddenly came to life. The doors slide open, smoke rising out of it. A crimson leg popped out of the scanner. A low moan swept through the factory. Growling lowly, a massive form moved through the factory, looking for the exit.


	27. Therizino Returns

Ulrich watched as Jim walked through the small room, looking at everything. The inspection wouldn't take long. They never did. Ulrich was still worried, though. Odd could wake up any second and cause a racket. He had enough to worry about with Kiwi. With Odd in there now, it would be impossible for Jim to miss it.

Ulrich's eyes widened in realization. He slapped himself in the head. How could he have been so stupid? Odd's mind was like a cat's now. And if he woke up in that drawer and saw Kiwi, he would go bananas.

It took a second later for him to find out just how right he was. All of a sudden, the drawer came to life. There were banging sounds, barking and hissing mixed together. Ulrich watched, stunned at this sight at first. He rushed and pushed against the dresser, trying to muffle its sounds.

"Shh! Be quiet in there!" Ulrich whispered in a low, harsh voice. "Oh who am I kidding? They won't understand me..."

Ulrich looked over. He saw Jim standing there, hands at his hips. Ulrich gulped. The gym teacher must have heard the sounds. The large man walked forward, eyeing the drawer suspiciously.

"Okay, Stern, what do you have in there?" Jim said in a voice of authority.

"N-Nothing!" Ulrich gave a nervous grin. "Just...some robots yeah. Jeremie let us borrow a couple of his robots. They must have turned on by accident. I'll...deal with it."

Jim growled lowly and narrowed his eyes. Ulrich's smile faded. "Do you think I'm dumb, Stern? Why would Belpois entrust you and Della Robbia with robotics?" He took several steps into the room. He stopped a foot away from Ulrich. "Now tell me what you are really hiding in there." He lowered himself and put his face close to Ulrich's. "And don't try to pull a fast one on me. I wasn't born yesterday!"

Ulrich stared up at Jim, unsure of what to do. He could practically feel the man's anger and impatience start to get the best of him. Ulrich had no idea of how he was going to get Jim out. Jim could be really stubborn. And this time, it doesn't seem that the principal or any teachers are going to be coming to take Jim away.

He heard another growl form the gym teacher. His arms folded tightly against his chest. His foot was tapping impatiently. Ulrich looked over at the drawer. The commotion had stopped, momentarily. He could still feel something going on in there. He looked back up at Jim. He had to find some way to get rid of him. But now?

Before he could say anything, the drawer suddenly broke loose. Ulrich and Jim let out a cry of surprise as the drawer fell forward, spilling onto the ground with a heavy thud. The blanket folded over, revealing who it had been hiding.

"What the?!" Jim shouted.

On the floor was Odd. Ulrich was shocked that he was no longer bound. The ropes lay loose on his sides. He was yowling at Kiwi and wrestling with him. The two rolled across the floor. Kiwi was trying to get away from Odd, but the boy kept grabbing his leg and biting him. Finally the dog managed to squirm free and ran between Jim's legs and out the door.

Jim, shocked by this, looked at Ulrich with an intense glare. "What is the meaning of this, Stern?!"

"I..uh..." Ulrich stammered.

Jim turned his attention to Odd. "And Odd, what do you think you're doing?" He took quick notice of Odd's unusual stance. "Quit it, Odd!" He bent down to grab Odd, only for the boy to hiss at him and bite him on the finger. "Yow!" Jim pulled his finger back and shook it.

Odd arched his back and let out a spitting hiss, mixed in with a meow of distress and fear. Jim just glared at him and shook his head. He walked over to the boy and wrapped his arms around him, holding him tightly. Odd squirmed and let out more hisses. He kicked his legs wildly.

"Jim, where are you taking him?" Ulrich asked, holding out his hand to try to stop Jim from leaving the room.

"I am taking him to the hospital."

Ulrich's eyes widened.

"He has clearly lost it. I will deal with the mutt later. For now, Odd's mental state is of greater concern." Jim said, his voice stern. He turned to Ulrich. "And you're coming with me for questioning."

"Me?" Ulrich asked.

"Yes. You are his room mate, so you may have an idea of why he's acting like this." Jim said. "Am I right?"

Ulrich stammered, trying to find something to say. "I...well I..."

Jim smiled. "I knew it. Now come along. Any information you provide the doctors will be helpful."

"Yes, sir..." Ulrich said in a low voice. With no alternative, he followed Jim out the door.

**sss**

"I don't believe this!" Yumi cried as she head towards the hospital.

In her hand, she held her cellphone. She had just gotten off the phone with Ulrich, who delivered the bad news. She wanted to scream at the german boy for being foolish enough to put Kiwi and Odd in the same drawer together, with Odd's current state of mind. But that would do her no good right now.

She needed to tell Jeremie and Aelita. She looked down at her phone. She pressed the numbers for Jeremie's number. Aelita would most likely be with him. She put the phone to her ear and waited for him to pick up.

After a few seconds, no answer yet. She gritted her teeth. "Come on, Jeremie. Pick up!"

She was relieved when she heard the click of the phone being answered. She heard Jeremie's voice on the other line say, "Hello?"

"Jeremie! We have a problem!" Yumi shouted through her panting.

"What is it?" There was already a strong sense of urgency in Jeremie's voice.

"The inspection went all wrong!" Yumi cried as she made a turn onto a different street. "Ulrich made a mistake and now Jim knows about Odd! He's hauled him and Ulrich away to the hospital!"

Jeremie gave a sharp gasp. In a cautious voice, he asked, "Where are you right now?"

Yumi looked out ahead. She couldn't see the building yet, but she would soon. "I'm on the way to the hospital." She gave a few more pants. Running all the way wasn't a good idea. She slowed down and leaned against a light pole to catch her breath. "I'll be there soon!"

Jeremie attempted to sound as calm as possible. "Aelita and I will be on our way to provide back up. Don't try to do anything until we get there." Yumi could tell that his attempts to make himself sound calm was not working. "We'll come up with a plan to break them out once we get there.

Yumi continued on her way to the hospital. Still a little tired, she decided to walk this time. She got up onto the next street when he heard something. She looked behind her. She saw nothing. She continued walking, but again heard that same sound. She stopped, listening. It sounded like foot falls, very heavy foot falls. But again, as she looked behind her, the source of the sound wasn't in sight.

She walked down the street, all the while listening. The foot steps sounded like they were coming from up above her. She stopped and looked up. She saw some kind of shape moving along the buildings. It looked vaguely familiar, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. She shielded her eyes from the sun to get a better look.

Suddenly, the shape stopped moving. Yumi did as well, staring up in confusion. She couldn't tell what this thing was. A dog perhaps? No, a dog wouldn't sound that heavy. An escaped zoo animal? Or perhaps a wild animal that came into the city? No, she would have heard the news this morning about that.

The shape jumped off the building. It landed in front of Yumi. She jumped back and let out a quick scream. Her eyes glued onto a set of eyes she thought she never would have to see again.

"You..." Yumi breathed as she stared up at the creature.

There, standing before her, was Therizino. Her golden eyes stared down at Yumi, filled with contempt. She stared down at Yumi for several seconds, not making a move. Behind her, the three tails, the spheres on them fully healed now, wagged from side to side.

Then, without warning, Therizino took off. Yumi climbed to her feet and watched her run. At first, she was confused. Her expression changed from surprise to horror when she realized Therizino was heading straight for the hospital.

"No!" Yumi bolted in the monster's direction.

How did she survive? Why didn't they detect her presence? How did she get on earth without triggering an alarm? All these thoughts raced through Yumi's mind as she tried to catch up to the red beast. But these questions didn't matter right now. What was of bigger concern was keeping her away from Odd. She would surely try to kill him, and given his current state, she would succeed.


	28. Snatched Away

Ulrich gripped the arms of his seat. He could hear Odd's cries in the other room. They had to strap him into the bed so he wouldn't go anywhere. The boy struggled in vain to get free. The leather straps held him tightly. Then the noises stopped, and he knew they inserted him with a sedative.

He could hear murmurs from the doctors. Some concerned, some confused, while a few think it was just an act. He heard the doctors moving through the room, likely checking Odd's vitals to make sure he was all right. Ulrich shuddered as he heard the rapid beeping of the heart monitor, indicating Odd's heart was racing faster than normal.

Ulrich wanted to go into the room to try to calm his friend down. But he was ordered to stay in this room. One of the doctors was coming in to question him about Odd. He didn't know what he was going to say. Although nervous, he did his best to remain calm. The boy turned his head when he heard the door creak open slightly.

A doctor, looking like a middle aged man, walked in. In his hands, he gripped a clipboard and a piece of paper on it. Ulrich swallowed silently and waited.

The doctor went behind the desk. He leaned on the desk and stared at Ulrich. He had an almost accusatory look. It was almost like the doctor immediately thought he had something to do with Odd's condition. The man spoke, "Mr...uh...Stern is it?" Ulrich nodded. "What can you tell me about what you think could be causing Della Robbia's mental condition?"

"Uh..well..I don't know. He just kind of..snapped." Ulrich lied.

The man narrowed his eyes. "Don't try to deceive me, Mr. Stern. I have not heard of one case yet where someone snaps as bad as your friend overnight without warning signs beforehand. Now, tell me the truth."

Ulrich tried to think of something to say. Nothing came to mind. What could he say to him? The man narrowed his eyes deeper and he knew that he was going to lose his patience. And he thought Jim had no patience.

There was only one thing he could think of saying. "I am telling you the truth, sir. I didn't notice anything strange about him last night. He was fine. When he woke up, he was like that."

The doctor wasn't buying it. He wrote a few quick things on the clipboard, and gave Ulrich another accusatory look. Ulrich wished he could just grab Odd and run. He wouldn't be able to do that alone. Where was Yumi? She should be here soon. He hoped she would hurry.

The doctor got out of his seat and walked up to Ulrich. The young boy felt himself moving back as the man got uncomfortably close. A hand gripped his shoulder, but not in a comforting way. Ulrich stared up at the man, their eyes locking.

"Then do you care to explain why he was tied up in the drawer?" The man asked in a darker tone of voice. "The teacher that carried Della Robbia in described loose ropes that were covering his body. And one of our nurses noticed marks on his arms. He had been tied up in that drawer, stuffed in there."

Ulrich felt his heart start to race. He didn't like where this was going.

"And you were the only other person in the room with him." The doctor's eyes narrowed into slits. Ulrich remained silent. The doctor noticed the sweat beads dripping down the sides of his face. "I hope you know how serious this is, boy. After we access the extent of the boy's mental damage, we will be placing you under arrest."

Ulrich snapped his head back. He stared at the doctor in horror. "W-What?!"

"You heard me." The doctor said coldly. "You are to remain in this room until the police arrive. In a few days, you are scheduled to appear in court. Your punishment will be decided then."

Ulrich's heart beat so fast he thought it was going to burst from his chest. He couldn't believe this was happening to him. He was being accused of hurting Odd. He would never do such a thing. But no matter what he'd say, the doctor would not believe him.

With nothing else he could do, Ulrich lowered his head in submission. "Okay, I understand." He would find a way out of this, somehow. His friends would help him. He just needed to wait.

"The police will be here..."

The doctor didn't get a chance to finish. There was a loud crash in the hospital. The ground shook, the lights flickering rapidly, objects wobbling on the desk. The man almost lost his balance. Ulrich gripped his chair, waiting for the movements to cease. When they did, they both looked out the door.

"What in the world was that?!" The doctor demanded, his voice shaken up.

The two moved towards the door. They looked outside. There was sunlight shining on their right. They looked down the hallway. The light was so bright it was hard to see much detail further down the hallway. They thought they could see a little smoke rising from the ground further down.

How could there be sunlight? They were on the other side of the building. They were too far away for them to see any light from the sun coming from that direction. What was going on?

Then they felt the ground shake again. It was more intense this time. It was like something large and heavy had gotten into the building. Ulrich and the doctor grabbed on the side of the door frame. The shaking was getting more intense. The hallway was filled with the screams of people, both staff and patients. Forgetting about their earlier spat, Ulrich and the doctor looked at each other in worry and horror.

Then, out of nowhere, something large, covered in crimson and black skin, appeared. Barely fitting in the hall, it tore open the walls with its sharp spikes. Ulrich's eyes widened in horror. He instantly recognized who this creature was.

"Therizino..." He said in a low, inaudible voice. How did she survive?

The doctor grabbed Ulrich and yanked him back in the room as Therizino ran by. Her spikes cut through the door frame. They dodged the falling debris and coughed as smoke rose up from the ground, making it hard to breathe. They heard a loud crash right next door and they froze, realizing what was going to happen.

Ulrich wriggled out of the doctor's grasp and ran towards the next room. "Odd!" He cried as he entered the cracked door frame. He gasped as he saw Therizino glaring down at Odd's limp form. As she opened her jaws, he ran towards her. "Leave him alone!"

Therizino took one look at him and let out a roar. She raised her sickle claw and cut off Odd's straps. Ulrich jumped towards her, moving his leg forward to give her a flying kick. She snagged Ulrich in her jaws and moved out of the way, causing Ulrich to crash into the ground.

Then just as fast as she appeared, Therizino made her escape. She rammed the window, creating a large opening. She jumped down, landing on the pavement below. Ulrich ran to the opening and stopped right on its edge. He watched, his eyes filled with terror, as Therizino ran way, Odd in her jaws.

He moved to run after her, but he was held back by the doctor, who gripped his arm.

"Let me go!" Ulrich demanded.

"No, kid! You don't stand a chance against that thing!" The doctor told him. "I will call animal control! They'll save your friend!"

Ulrich scoffed. "Animal Control cannot handle that thing! Now let go!" He managed to get free and, ignoring the doctor's shouts at him to stay put, he ran towards Therizino.

For a creature that large, she could move faster than anyone would expect. The beast was gaining distance from him. Ulrich pushed himself to run faster. He stared out in front of him in desperation. He couldn't let Therizino take Odd from them. He just couldn't.

But soon, despite his best efforts, Therizino had disappeared down the street. He slowed himself down and leaned against a building's wall, panting. His mind raced. Where was Therizino taking Odd? Then he recalled what her plan last time was. She tried killing him by throwing him into the Digital Sea. She must be doing the same thing here now.

After regaining his breath, he started running in the direction of the factory. After a minute of running, he had to skid to a stop as he almost ran into Yumi.

"Ulrich!" Yumi was shocked. "What are you doing here? Why aren't you at the hospital?"

"Get to the factory! Now!" Ulrich demanded. He brushed past Yumi.

Yumi grabbed his arm. "...did Therizino take him?"

Ulrich looked at her. His expression softened. He solemnly nodded his head. Yumi gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.

"Come on. We've got to hurry, before she throws him into the Digital Sea..."

**sss**

Therizino arrived at the factory. She stopped and looked behind her. Satisfied that no one seems to be behind her, she rushed into the factory. There were some large opening she made to get out. She used them to navigate her way back to the scanner room.

She set Odd's body down and went up to the computer terminal. She typed in a couple of commands. She had to be careful. She was using the very tip of her sickle claws and she didn't want to damage anything. She watched as the supercomputer registered the command.

"Come on..." Therizino said. "There isn't much time.."

The supercomputer showed the countdown. She smirked. This is what she hoped she would see. She turned her attention to Odd's prone form on the ground. Grinning, she walked up to him. When he started to stir, she stopped and watched.

Odd lifted up his head. He let out a soft groan. He looked over and noticed Therizino. The cat part of his mind was still in control. He jumped onto his hands and feet and arched his back. Therizino snorted and shot a spark of electricity at him. As Odd writhed in pain on the ground, Therizino got behind him and struck him with the blunt side of her right sickle claw. The boy crumpled on the ground, out cold.

"Don't worry. Soon, this will be all over for you." Therizino said as she grabbed the back of Odd's shirt.

She carried him over to the scanner room. She shoved him inside one of the scanners. She watched as the door closed. She entered a scanner of her own. She barely fit in and she was uncomfortable. But as the machine whirred to life and began the virtualization process, she knew she wouldn't have to suffer long.

As she was virtualized, there was one thought running through her mind.

"I do hope I do not screw up this opportunity."


	29. The Unexpected

Therizino was the first one fully virtualized. She landed on the ground with a heavy thud. She looked around to make sure she was in the right sector. Pleased she was in the Ice Sector, she looked up, seeing the cat boy virtualize moments after her.

As Odd's body fell, she caught him in one of her front limbs. She held him, his body slumped along the muscular limb, the head resting precariously against her sickle claw. She rotated her arm so that she could hold him against her body.

_'Hmph. Good thing he is scrawny.'_ She thought._ 'Otherwise, this would be difficult to pull off.'_ She lifted up her head. 'Now..where is it?'

Therizino spotted something in the distance. A faint glow in a cavern on the other side of the sector. She looked around her to see if the other Lyoko Warriors were virtualized yet. When they didn't, she began her trek, walking carefully so she did not drop Odd.

After a couple minutes of walking, she felt something moving. She looked down. Odd was awakening. She was about to shock him when he suddenly dug his claws into her. Her eyes split wide open.

"You dare use Drain Claw on me?!" She cried as she felt her codes being drained.

She stared down, looking at Odd's wild-looking eyes. He looked practically sadistic as he drained the life out of her. Therizino could feel her strength being zapped from her. She couldn't allow this to happen. She let out a roar and swung the side of her head against Odd.

Upon impact, he rolled across the ground. He got up on all fours. He snarled at her. His tail puffed up, wagging very fast, like a cat dogs when it's very angry. Therizino pawed the ground, snorting like a bull. She charged towards Odd. He dashed towards her. They lunged in the air, preparing to collide with each other.

**sss**

The mention of Therizino's return shocked and horrified Aelita and Jeremie. It was not easy for Ulrich and Yumi to break the news to them about Odd's capture. Bad memories of their last encounter with the beast flooded their minds. They had almost lost Odd to that monster more than once. They thought that ordeal was over. They had been wrong. So very wrong.

There was no doubt on what Therizino was going to do. She took him into Lyoko to throw him into the Digital Sea. Since she was no longer connected to him via the dreadful purple eye, she couldn't attack him directly on earth anymore. So she took him away to Lyoko herself. They knew she already had to have made it to Lyoko, so they would have to hurry up to save Odd.

But although that was a logical expectation of what Therizino was planning, not all the Lyoko Warriors were convinced. Specifically, Aelita had some doubts. Something just didn't add up.

"Oh come on, Aelita! You can't possibly have second thoughts about this!" Ulrich said.

"Remember what happened last time, Aelita?" Jeremie asked her. "She kept doing everything in her power to kill him."

"And that's the problem." Aelita said. The others looked at her with perplexed looks. "She had an opportunity in the hospital to kill him. During the escape downtown, she could have killed him. Why would she go through the trouble to get him into Lyoko just to throw him into the Digital Sea if her goal was to kill him?"

The others looked at each other. Realization sank in.

"You might be right, Aelita." Jeremie said. He walked up to the supercomputer and read the screen. He turned to the others. "But for now we must hurry. Therizino has taken Odd to the Ice Sector."

"I don't know what she plans on doing with him there." Aelita said as she stared at each of her friends. "But we can't just sit here and wait to find out."

**sss**

Odd lunged on top of Therizino's neck. She swung her head wildly to try to dislodge him. He bit down hard. Therizino could have sworn he suddenly grew fangs. She felt a sharp pain in her neck. He hugged her neck tighter as her struggles increased.

Therizino stood on her hind legs. She slammed her back into the ground. She heard a screech escape Odd's mouth. She got up and looked down on him. At first, he looked like he was unconscious again. She was proven wrong when he jumped at her, slamming his body against her upper chest and lower neck.

Taken by surprise, Therizino staggered back. She felt her foot almost slip off the edge of the slope she was in. She looked over her shoulders. She quickly regretted taking her eyes off the boy. Again he jumped at her. He wrapped his limbs around her head, shutting her mouth. His sharp claws, the regular ones, dug into her body, cutting her open.

She moved backwards, shaking his head to try to get him off of her. She slipped off the edge and the two went rolling down the slope. Therizino crashed heavily against a large rock structure. Odd tumbled further down and landed in a pile of virtual snow.

In seconds, Odd was back up, snarling. Therizino took longer to recover. She rubbed her head. She barely had time to turn when Odd got on the back of her neck again. He activated Drain Claw and pushed the claws deep inside of her. Therizino let out a howl of pain.

**sss**

"Get to the scanner room." Jeremie said as he got in the supercomputer's chair. He hovered his fingers over the keyboard. "Once you get to the Ice Sector, go find Odd. He should be located in the northeastern part of the sector."

"Got it." Yumi said.

"You can count on us." Ulrich said with confidence in his voice.

Aelita, Ulrich, and Yumi entered the scanners. They listened as Jeremie did the usual activation sequence. The scanners came to life. A rush of hair swept through them. They closed their eyes, feeling their bodies peel apart, turning from flesh into data.

**sss**

And now they were appearing above the land that was the Ice Sector. Once fully formed and digitized, they dropped down next to each other. Aelita, who knew the sector very well, led the way. They raced across the snow-covered land, which was, surprisingly, barren of monsters. But knowing XANA and Therizino, they kept on their guard.

Once they reached the northeastern section, they stopped and looked around. They couldn't hear anything. And they couldn't see anything. At first, they wondered if something had happened before they could arrive in time. Had Therizino succeeded in killing Odd?

Jeremie sensed their worry. His voice overhead spoke, "Odd is still alive. You still got time."

"That's a relief." Aelita said. "So shall we?"

"Yeah, before Therizino decides to do..whatever it is to Odd." Yumi nodded her head.

They didn't have time to continue their trek. A loud cat-like shriek filled the Lyoko air. They froze. The sound, if they heard it on earth, would have made their blood run cold. They looked up and saw Odd glaring down at them. He was standing on a ledge, a puffy tail sticking straight up in the air, shaking agitatedly.

Aelita gasped and took a step back. "Odd? Is that you?"

As if to answer, Odd jumped through the air. He landed on the ground next to his friends, only he didn't seem to see them as friends now. His pupils were large again, keeping his eye color almost hidden. His teeth were bared and he snapped at the air at them. His claws dug into the ground. He eyed them all like they were just pieces of meat.

When Odd licked his lips hungrily, they all shuddered collectively. They moved a few steps away. Odd moved slowly towards them. Each time he put his foot down, his claws scraped the ice. He emitted a continuous low growl at them. After a few seconds, he charged at them.

Ulrich took out one of his swords and tried to strike at Odd. The cat boy was too agile for him. He swung around him like it was nothing. In passing, he snagged Ulrich by the leg in his jaws and swung him into the ground. He jumped on top of him.

Yumi rushed in to help. She grabbed Odd's tail and yanked him back. Odd let out a surprised hiss before turning towards her. He opened his mouth wide, letting out the most horrific shriek Yumi ever heard him muster. He gripped her arm, scratching his claws into her. He tossed her into Ulrich. He watched as they tumbled across the ground, a little dazed.

Odd advanced menacingly towards Aelita. The pink haired girl walked backwards. She readied to attack with her Energy Fields. She hesitated, not wanting to hurt Odd. But he was starting to move faster, and soon he broke into a run.

By now, Ulrich and Yumi were back on their feet. They ran towards Odd, weapons ready. Before they could reach him, he collided with Aelita and they went rolling down a steep hill. Once they reached the bottom, Aelita screeched in pain when Odd began to use Drain Claw on her.

"Aelita!" Yumi shouted in horror.

"Super Sprint!" In a flash of yellow light, Ulrich rushed down towards where Odd had Aelita pinned down.

"Careful you guys!" Jeremie's voice called out. "Therizino is heading your way!"

"Great, just what we needed.." Yumi muttered under her throat. She wielded her fans and looked around for the red beast. "Where is she, Jeremie?"

"Almost right on top of Aelita and Odd!"

"What?!" Yumi turned and her eyes widened at what she saw.

From the left of Odd and Aelita, Therizino was thundering towards them. She was moving faster than Yumi had ever seen her move. She intercepted Ulrich, striking him down with her sickle claw. The boy landed on his back and moaned in pain. As he fought to get up, Therizino closed in on Odd and Aelita.

Odd, still using Drain Claw on Aelita, gave a warning yowl at Therizino. The red dragon narrowed her eyes into slits. She split her mouth open and roared at him. She raised a paw and struck at him, pulling him away from Aelita.

For a few seconds, Therizino stared down at the girl. Aelita noticed that her stare was, for once, not hostile. There was something else, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Then Therizino turned away, leaving her unharmed, and went after Odd.

Yumi got to Aelita's side and helped her up. Aelita just stared at Therizino in surprised. 'Did she just...?' She shook her head. No, she couldn't of. No, this was Therizino she was referring to.

"Oh no!" Ulrich shouted. The girls looked at him. He pointed to where Therizino ran off to. Once again, Odd was unconscious in her jaws. She was making a run for it. "Come on! We've gotta catch up!"


	30. Guardian

The three Lyoko Warriors chased after Therizino. The red dragon, gripping Odd tightly in her jaws, looked back. Her eyes widened as she saw they were getting too close. She pushed herself harder, forced her body to move faster. Up ahead, she could see the glow again. She would be there soon. If she can just hold on for a few minutes, she would succeed.

"Super Sprint!"

Therizino knew what this meant. She looked over to her left. She could see Ulrich running up alongside her, fully caught up. For a moment, the two ran side by side along the icy ground. Then Ulrich, still keeping up the pace, leaving behind a trail of yellow, began to move towards her. When he got close enough, he struck her shoulder with his sword.

She raised her head and let out a pained hiss. She did not release Odd. Instead, she struck Ulrich down with her neck and continued running. Ulrich fell into the ground, dazed only for a moment before getting back up and giving chase.

Aelita and Yumi were starting to catch up. They were both thankful they had projectile weapons because they didn't think they would catch up to Therizino in time. Yumi threw one of her fans, charged by Aelita's Energy Field. The pink, glowing fan sailed across the air and made contact with the back of Therizino's head.

This caused Therizino to stop in her tracks, pull her head back, and let out a roar. Odd's body dropped on the ground. Quickly, Ulrich rushed over to pick him up before Therizino could recover. He did not move fast enough. The red dragon put her body over Odd's, blocking Ulrich's path.

"You won't be getting him back this early!" Therizino hissed under her breath.

Ulrich readied his swords. "Is that a challenge?"

Therizino gave a chuckle. "You are so amusing. But I cannot waste my time with you. So go away."

"Make me." Ulrich growled.

Therizino smiled slowly, her eyes widening in a crazed look. She raised herself onto her back legs. She struck forward with one paw. The sickle claw slashed across Ulrich's chest, knocking him away. Ulrich gripped the area where she struck, wincing in pain.

She gave a backwards glance to Yumi and Aelita. They were almost caught up now, just several yards away. She raised her tails and clanged them together. An arch of purple electricity formed. She shot the wave at them. It struck them dead on, prompting the two girls to scream and collapse on the ground.

Ulrich, having recovered, jumped in the air and struck the top of Therizino's head with one of his swords. Therizino grabbed him and pushed him into the ground. She almost struck him again when an Energy Field hit her on her forehead, right where her symbol was. She released the boy and stumbled back, shrieking.

"Thank you, Aelita." Ulrich said as he climbed up to his feet.

Aelita and Yumi now reached his side. They stopped for a moment to make sure he was alright. Aelita quickly noticed what Therizino was doing.

"She's going to get away!" Aelita shouted.

Yumi saw Therizino go to pick Odd up once again. "No!" She threw a fan at Therizino. It cut through her side, making her roar once more. "Give him back!"

Therizino shook with pain, eyes closed tightly. She narrowed them in the trio's direction. As they rushed towards her, prepared to attack, she snapped her head back, baring her teeth. "Not now!"

With that, she charged up her tails again. She pressed the three spheres together as they glowed intensively. Purple electricity shot forth, spraying the land with dancing, crackling sparks of energy. The massive energy struck the land just in front of the three warriors. The force of the impact threw them back. Electricity waved over their bodies, paralyzing them.

Therizino stared at this. She smirked in satisfaction. She lowered her head towards Odd's prone form and carried it in her jaws again. She began to run towards the cavern straight ahead.

"No...she's...getting away!" Yumi shouted through her pain. She was frustrated that she could not do anything. The electricity was making it impossible for her to move. She can't even lift up her arm, let alone toss a fan at the beast.

Ulrich attempted to move. The electricity pinned his arms at his sides. He couldn't move anything except for his eyes and mouth. He looked over at Yumi, eyes wide. "We've...gotta get out of...this..." The pain was intense. It felt like someone was stabbing him throughout his entire body.

"Jer...Jeremie...we need..help..." Aelita cried. She was laying on her stomach. She had a better time moving, but it was not enough. She tried to pick herself up off the ground, but a second later, the electricity would cause her to slide back down. "Do...you..have an idea?" She asked through clenched teeth.

"I'm going to run a program I recently developed. It hasn't been tried out yet." Jeremie said. "Here's to hoping it will work."

Normally, Ulrich or Yumi would have protested. An untested program could prove dangerous. In this case, however, it may be their best option. The electricity showed no signs of slowing down. And Therizino was getting out of sight.

They could hear Jeremie's frantic typing. They could tell he was nervous and worried, which didn't help them feel any better. Then there was a click sound. Jeremie had activated it.

"If this program works, you guys, your bodies should be covered in a protective light shield. The electricity will bounce right off of you."

The Lyoko Warriors waited. For a few seconds, nothing was happening. Then they felt a tingling inside themselves. It started in their mid sections, then spread throughout their bodies. Slowly, a glow began to overtake them. It was bright white, but for some reason, it did not hurt their eyes.

As the glow spread all over their bodies, the electricity was pushed further and further back. In about a minute, the light shields were fully activated. The purple electricity, no longer able to touch them, just bounced all over them before arching away off into the distance.

They got up to their feet. The feeling of relief from the pain was immense. They smiled at each other, but wasted no further time. They ran off after Therizino.

A few minutes later, Therizino stopped in front of the cavern entrance. 'Finally.' She thought. 'I am here.' She looked behind her. The other warriors were still far behind. She gave a light smirk. 'Those idiots will not make it here in time. Good.' She walked towards the cavern.

It was not too large. The cavern consisted of a circular wall of ice shooting upwards. More ice from above twisted around, covering most of the top in an unusual pattern. No other place in the Ice Sector looked like this. The ceiling literally looked like someone took a sheet of ice, molding it over, and veins of some plants got stuck inside, creating indentions all over.

There was one opening. It was located in the center. The small hole caused a small cylinder of light to shine outside. The opening that allowed Therizino to enter was not very large either. She barely fit through. It was a narrow shaft that stretched barely above her head. Thin and rectangular, it was hard for her to squeeze through without cutting the sides of the 'door frame'.

Inside the cavern, there was a good sized body of water. It sloshed back and forth against the small amount of wind that swept through the area. The body of water formed a half circle, nearly perfect. The whole room was lit up. Not intense, but more than one would expect from a nearly enclosed area like this.

Therizino walked up to the edge and stared down. The source of the light was from within the water. And it was coming to the surface. She instantly moved back, pushing her head back as the bright light came up. In seconds, what appeared to be a large orange sphere, sparkling with pure energy, came up out of the water.

Therizino took a few steps back, giving space to allow the sphere to get onto the dry land. Therizino set Odd's body on the ground, a foot away from the orange sphere. Before Therizino could do anything else, she heard the footsteps of the Lyoko Warriors arriving onto the scene. A disgusted look on her face, she turned her head and looked over her shoulder.

"A Guardian?!" That was the first thing that came to Ulrich's mind as he came rushing in first. He took one look at Therizino and pointed his sword in her direction. "Don't you dare..." Therizino snorted irritably at him.

Yumi and Aelita now arrived onto the scene. Like Ulrich, they were surprised to see a Guardian. Those monsters hadn't been seen around for a long time. Ever since Aelita had been materialized, they vanished altogether. They thought XANA had found them useless and ceased creating them.

But now here was a Guardian before them. No doubt it had been enhanced by an upgrade that other monsters appeared to be receiving. Who knows what it was now capable of? And what was Therizino's plan with it?

"Stay back." Therizino growled, giving a warning wave with her paw.

Yumi narrowed her eyes dangerously. "Give us back Odd. Then we will leave."

"Just make it easier on yourself and surrender him." Ulrich said. He brandished his swords. "You won't get rid of us that easily."

Therizino stomped the ground, her tails swooshing through the air. "Get out of here!"

Ulrich wasn't going to listen anymore. He ran towards Therizino. He held out his two swords. He went over to where the Guardian was getting closer to Odd.

Therizino's eyes widened. "No! Wait! You don't understand!" She jumped to intercept the ninja. She managed to catch him under her paw.

Ulrich snarled at her, "I understand enough." He jabbed a sword into her paw.

Therizino roared in pain and moved back from him. After regaining her senses, she looked over with an almost horrified expression as Ulrich attempted to grab Odd. As he got closer, the Guardian began to arch wavy energy. Whatever it was, certainly wasn't electricity. It hit Ulrich, catching it, and lifted him up. Ulrich let out a scream of pain and twitched violently in the air.

"Ulrich!" Yumi cried.

She rushed forward to try to help. Therizino attempted to stop her, but the japanese girl jumped onto her back and into the air. She tossed a fan at the Guardian. It hit, but the fan was disintegrated. Yumi's eyes widened at this. Then the energy grabbed her, putting her in the same predicament as Ulrich.

Aelita looked on in horror as she watched the energy torture Yumi and Ulrich. Although she knew it was useless, she started to charge up an Energy Field. Before she could shoot it, a black claw struck across her head, knocking her onto her back. She was pushed down by a heavy red foot. Looking up, she saw Therizino's yellow pupil-less eyes staring down at her.

"Don't be an idiot!" Therizino growled at her. She put her face closer to Aelita's. "You will just end up like your friends!"

Therizino released Aelita after that. She turned her attention to the Guardian. Pawing the ground, she ran forward. She swung her head and hit Yumi. Then she raised a paw and struck Ulrich. The impact caused them to be broken free of the arching energy.

Aelita rushed to them. "Are you two okay?" She asked with worry.

"Don't worry. We're fine." Ulrich said, rubbing his head.

"Just a little shaken up." Yumi replied. She looked over at Therizino. Her eyes widened. "No!"

The trio watched, to their shock, as the Guardian grew in size. The larger it got, the more transparent it became. It engulfed both Therizino and Odd inside of it.

"This should keep you from interfering again." Therizino said in a cold voice before walking over to Odd. Her paws sparkled with purple electricity. "Now to get this over with..."

Eyes widened in horror, the trio cried in unison, "No!"


	31. Under The Dome

Author's Note: Just one more chapter to go, plus the epilogue, then this story is complete.

**sss**

"Jeremie!" Aelita shouted as she and her friends watched Therizino slowly approach Odd's unconscious body. "Therizino's got Odd!"

"What?!" Jeremie was horrified. "Get him out of here!"

"We can't! She and Odd are being shielded by a huge Guardian! We can't get anywhere near it or it will shoot us with a type of energy attack!" Aelita said regretfully.

Jeremie hesitated. "No..."

"Can't you do something, Jeremie?" Ulrich asked, his voice with a determined edge. "We have to break through that shield!"

The sound of typing could be heard. "I am sending your vehicles. Use them to ram the Guardian. If you hit it enough times in the same spot, maybe it will be enough to weaken the shield and ultimately bring it down." Jeremie explained.

As this was going on, Therizino finally got up to Odd. She lowered her head and gave the boy a sniff. He didn't smell like he used to. Something changed about his scent. And she knew why.

"Odd..." She said in a harsh whisper. "Long have I awaited this moment."

She got into position, raising her paw and hovering it over his chest and belly. A glow began to emit from her paws, white in color. Before anything else happened, she heard the sound of the shield humming from the force of an impact. Looking over, she growled in anger as she saw Yumi and Ulrich, now with vehicles, ramming the shield constantly.

She couldn't believe how stubborn they were being. She listened to the constant ram humming emitting throughout the Guardian. If this kept up, the Guardian would leave them and go attack the Lyoko Warriors. As tempting as that was, she could not allow it. Not when she had a task to fulfill. She needed to keep them busy for a little while.

She stomped the ground and let out a loud roar. The shock wave made the ground tremble, and forced Yumi and Ulrich to stop, holding their ears as the screen penetrated their ear drums. They heard Jeremie let out a cry of pain as well.

Then it was silent. Therizino was perfectly still, her head turned towards them, giving them a glare with her piercing golden eyes. Her heavy panting, mixed in with their own, was the only thing they could hear. Then came stomping. Heavy stomping, and it sounded like it came from more than one location.

"Watch out! There's a group of Mantas heading your way!" Jeremie warned them.

As if on cue, Ulrich could see the shape of an approaching Manta in the small opening. "Great..." He muttered under his breath.

He and the others had barely enough time to react when three Mantas flew into the room. They pushed underneath the warriors, forcing them to take a ride, and carried them out. They were then flung in the air as the Mantas pushed their back upwards like an bull in a rodeo. The crash caused their vehicles to be devirtualized on the spot. The warriors landed on their feet this time and ran to face their attackers.

Therizino watched the battle begin, a smirk on her face. "That should keep them busy for a while." She went back over to Odd.

Ulrich let out a yell as he leaped into the air, holding out one of his blades. He struck down on the back of one of the Mantas. Going higher in the air, he held onto the sword tightly to keep from falling. The Manta let out screeches as it tried to make Ulrich fall. The boy started cutting its back open. Light shined out from the opening wound.

Before he could finish completing cutting the Manta in half, the Manta slammed into a tall ice surface. Ulrich grunted in pain as he slumped from the creature's back. The tip of its 'mouth' glowing, the Manta shot at Ulrich, striking him in the chest.

Yumi saw Ulrich fall and rushed to his aid. The Manta above kept shooting at Ulrich. Yumi growled and whipped out her remaining fan and threw it up towards the Manta. It cut through the rest of its body. This caused it not to delete, but to fall to the ground, the right and left halves apart from each other.

Yumi grimaced at the sight of the monster's insides. It wasn't gory so much as it was disturbing. The inside, in spite of light shining out when it's cut, revealed a dark mesh of twisted, tentacle-like data. Watching the squirming of the data made her feel nauseous, and it only got worse as the two sides started to reform. Sickening squishing sounds could be heard as the Manta slowly healed itself. She had to look away, holding her stomach.

Ulrich got back onto his feet after the fall. He looked over at the healing XANA monster. He was a little unnerved by it as well, but he was more focused on trying to save Odd. He looked back at the cavern entrance. In front of it, another Manta appeared, preparing to shoot at him.

Holding up his swords, he ran for it. Like the first one, he jumped to land on its back. This time, he was not so successful. A blast to the chest sent him flying back.

"Ulrich, you're down to fifty life points!" Jeremie warned.

Ulrich held his head. He looked over at Yumi. "We...we need a distraction."

Yumi held out her hands, waving them back and forth. "Don't look at me. I already did that job."

Before Ulrich could say more, Aelita walked up to them. "I will do it." The pair looked at her. "There's no tower to deactivate, so there won't be any loss if I get devirtualized."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Ulrich asked.

Aelita nodded her head, frowning. "I might not be as good at it as Odd was, but I can handle it. You and Yumi, prepare to run once there is a clear opening. Understand?"

"Yes, princess." Ulrich said.

"Good."

Aelita headed towards the Manta in front of them. After dodging its blasts, she got onto its back. She held on tightly as it started flying wildly in the air, trying to get her off. As she got higher, she spotted the second uninjured Manta. She tossed a couple Energy Fields at it to get its attention. It worked. Now the second Manta flew along side, shooting at Aelita.

At this time, the sliced up Manta fully healed. It joined in the air battle, trying to shoot Aelita off. She managed to hang on. Her hands glowed with the pink energy she uses to attack with. She struck her hands hard against the back of the Manta's head until they sank deep inside. The Manta screeched in pain as Aelita gripped it from the inside and pulled its head up, attempting to control it in flight.

And it was working. The Manta, not able to see where it was going, only dared to go in the direction its head was facing. It started flying upwards, towards the Lyoko sky. The other two Mantas followed in hot pursuit. Aelita guided the Manta so it and her wouldn't be hit by the energy blasts. She then pushed its head down, forcing it into a dive. Making a quick twist, she forced her Manta mount to strike the other two Mantas with its flippers, causing them to falter in the air for a few seconds.

Ulrich and Yumi watched this spectacle in awe and shock. They had no idea Aelita was capable of doing this.

"Remind me to never get on her bad side." Ulrich murmured.

"Noted." Yumi agreed. She pulled his arm. It was the only thing that could tear the guy's eyes away from watching the airborne battle. "Come on! While we still have an opening!"

Therizino had just gotten into position when she heard Yumi and Ulrich rushed back in. She let out an audible groan. What would it take to keep these two away from her for a few minutes? She swung her head in their direction, baring her teeth. They would not be able to break through now that their vehicles were quickly disposed of, but they would be so much of a nuisance it would be hard to perform what she needed to.

"Let Odd go!" Ulrich demanded, brandishing his weapons threateningly. Yumi did likewise.

Therizino stared at them. She couldn't keep up this game much longer. She simply ignored them and looked down at Odd. She lifted up her foot, allowing it to sparkle in purple electricity once more.

"Don't you dare touch him!" Yumi threatened.

Still, Therizino paid no mind to the pair, even as they started striking the same spot of the sphere with their weapons. The humming was annoying. Therizino did her best to ignore it, although it was difficult. She positioned her paw over Odd's body, which began to glow. Ulrich and Yumi looked on in horror.

Suddenly, there was a loud crash. The ground shook. The roof of the cavern started to shatter and fall down. Yumi and Ulrich had to keep dodging to avoid being hit. Therizino and Odd were safe inside the Guardian, which withstood the force of the impact quite nicely. Therizino was still in shock at what happened. As the final bits of debris fell down, she looked up just in time to see Aelita diving down, riding the back of a Manta.

"What the?!" Therizino cried in disbelief. She took a few sniffs and realized there was only one Manta left now. She widened her eyes. "How..?!"

Ulrich and Yumi were just as surprised as Therizino. Just where did the other two Mantas go? Aelita could not have deleted them herself. They were modified, not the regular Mantas they normally faced. They were about to ask when Jeremie pretty much provided the answer for them all.

"Aelita! That was nuts! I can't believe you did that!"

Aelita just chuckled. "Well it was the only way to get rid of them. And I'm fine, aren't I?"

"...yeah I suppose." Jeremie said, trying to keep his voice calm. "But seriously, you almost gave me a heart attack the way you dove towards the Digital Sea!"

"You did what?!" Ulrich screamed.

Aelita gave him a smile and nodded.

"Why would you do something like that?!" Yumi was not happy either.

"I pulled up just in time." Aelita explained. Controlling the Manta, she was circling the small cavern. "It worked. The Mantas weren't able to change direction in time, and down they went. Now for you..." Aelita turned her attention to Therizino. She began a dive.

"Stop it..." Therizino warned. Aelita and the Manta were racing down at an alarming speed. "Halt your advance! Don't get any closer!" Aelita ignored her warnings. Therizino could feel the energy around her begin to concentrate around the rim of the Guardian. She gave a sharp gasp and shouted, "Stop! Before it's too late!"

Aelita was stunned by her tone of voice. It sounded desperate. It wasn't how she usually talked at all. Unfortunately for her, she was unable to react in time. She had gotten too close. The body of the Manta slammed into the Guardian.

And then there was light. And pain, lots of pain. Screaming filled the cavern. There was the sound of cracking. Something exploded, sending shock waves across, destroying the cavern and causing debris to fly everywhere. Dust filled the room, and then it was quiet.


	32. A Revelation

When the dust began to clear, Aelita got up to her feet. She looked up to the sky. "How bad off am I, Jeremie?"

"Down to twenty five life points." Jeremie said grimly. "Ulrich's been devirtualized. Yumi, you are down to thirty two life points."

Yumi stood up, stretching her legs a bit as they suddenly felt so stiff. "And Odd?"

"He's still there." Jeremie said.

Aelita and Yumi walked towards where the smoke was originating. They gave a few coughs. Soon it started to clear up more, revealing the damage before them. They tried not to let out a scream as they saw pillars of digital rock fallen over the area where their friend was. Even though if he had been hit and would just be devirtualized, the sight was still uncomfortable.

They walked around, seeing more of the damage. The Manta was knocked out, crushed underneath the pieces of debris. The only signs of life were occasional small squawks it emitted from it's 'mouth' region. The wounds Aelita gave to it to control it were starting to fade away. The Guardian itself had been shattered, unable to take the force of the explosion and rocks falling down on it.

They tried to find Odd, and soon they did, but not where they hoped. Standing over him was Therizino. She was leaning over him, almost totally covering him. It took a few seconds to sink in, but something caught the girls' attention. There was a heavy piece of rock leaning against Therizino's back, between her back two spikes. She was bearing its weight, her feet shaking at trying to support it without crushing onto Odd's still form.

"Wha..what are you doing?" Aelita managed to ask.

"Oh what's it look like I'm doing?!" Therizino snapped at her. "I am trying to keep him from being devirtualized! Now would not be a good time!"

Yumi took out her remaining fan and began to advance towards her. "Release him now!"

Therizino shook her head. "I cannot do that. If he gets devirtualized now, he will forever remain feral."

Yumi stopped in her tracks. "Why do you care?"

Therizino looked away, unable to come up with an answer. Yumi narrowed her eyes and tossed her fan at her. The red dragon hissed and opened her mouth. Purple electricity destroyed Yumi's last fan, rendering her weaponless.

Yumi growled and turned to Aelita. "Get Odd away from her!" Aelita began to walk towards Therizino, but to Yumi's surprise, she wasn't charging up her Energy Fields. "Aelita? What are you waiting for?"

"What are you doing?" Jeremie asked cautiously.

Aelita held up a hand. "Let me try something." She said in a reassuring voice. She walked up to Therizino, keeping her hands down in a nonthreatening manner. "Can I ask you something?"

Therizino looked down at her, growling. She said, "..fine, keep it short."

"Don't worry, it will be short." Aelita said, before becoming silent to think about how she was going to answer.

"Well?" Therizino snapped.

Aelita looked at her in the eyes and said, "Were you the one who deactivated the tower?"

Therizino snapped her head back quickly, letting out a surprised grunt. For a second, her mouth was agape, showing Aelita how unexpected her question had been. For many seconds, the red dragon was silent, just staring down at Aelita like she grew another head. Therizino started to look uncomfortable, gritting her teeth and looking in different directions. She tried to talk but only small grunts could be heard.

Then her expression became serious again. Still staring at Aelita, she parted her mouth briefly before shutting it again, sucking in her lips and biting them, the same nervous behavior humans tended to do. Finally, she gave her answer. A slow, very slow, nod of the head.

"What?" Yumi whispered in a low voice.

Aelita asked the question Yumi had on her mind. "Why? I thought you hated Odd." Her eyes narrowed. Her voice began to get an edge to it. "The last time we met, you spent days torturing him and tried to kill him more than once. In our last mission, XANA had sent dogs after him, to kill him. If you wanted Odd dead so bad, you would have just left it go. Instead you deactivated the tower. You saved Odd."

Therizino nodded again. "That is correct."

Aelita frowned deeper. "Why?"

Therizino's eyes widened for a moment. She winced, gritting her teeth before looking away. Closing her eyes, she said, "It's...it's complicated..."

"Explain." Aelita said.

Therizino looked down at her. She remained silent. How was she going to explain her situation? Would the girl even understand? She couldn't just remain silent forever. She was going to have to tell them, and what better time than now? She hoped she would be able to explain. It was hard for herself to understand what was going on.

"I..."

Yumi interrupted them. "Odd! He's waking up!"

**sss**

"Jeremie..."

Aelita's voice snapped Jeremie out of the state of shock he was in.

"Jeremie, was Therizino telling the truth? Is there a problem with Odd's code that would cause a problem with his rematerialization?"

Jeremie wasn't sure what to think. There was little reason to believe Therizino. She was an enemy, and she wanted Odd dead. Taking him back to earth may be what will save him and she is just trying to keep him in Lyoko for whatever plan she had in motion.

Then he realized something. From what Odd said of her, she never actually lied. She had always been up front about her intentions with Odd. He couldn't recall a single actual lie the dragon monster had spoken. That didn't relieve him of any suspicion. But it did make him reconsider what she said. What if she did speak the truth, like she always had?

Jeremie ran a scan with Odd's Lyoko model data. As the lines swept through, scanning for the bits of data, he couldn't help but feel a sharp pull in his heart. He dreaded what it would find, dreaded to hear the ominous beep, dreaded to deliver the bad news.

And it came.

Another pang in his chest as his worst fears were confirmed. Noting all the error messages popping up, too many to count, he realized, for certain, that Therizino had not been lying. Devirtualization, right now, was a terrible idea.

With a heavy heart, Jeremie murmured, "..Yes. I did a scan. Supercomputer indicates Odd's code is all messed up because of..whatever is inside of him. Devirtualization would cause it to permanently bond to him, meaning we will never get Odd back if he loses all his life points on Lyoko now."

"Oh no..."

Jeremie heard footsteps behind him. He turned his head to see Ulrich walking over. He was limping a little, likely from the explosion that caused him to devirtualize. The boy walked up to him and joined him at the supercomputer terminal.

Ulrich looked at the screen and was taken aback by all the error messages listed. He looked down to Jeremie and said, "What is going on...?"

Jeremie closed his eyes and pressed his hands against his face. "Therizino said that if Odd was devirtualized...he'd remain feral permanently." He took a deep breath and glanced up at Ulrich. "She was right."

"How do you know?" Ulrich raised a brow. Jeremie made a quick move with his head, drawing the boy's attention back to the screen. Eyes widened, he said, "Oh man...is there anything we can do?"

"The only one who might know..." Jeremie hesitated. "..is Therizino."

Ulrich gritted his teeth at the mention of that name. He turned his head back to the monitor. If only he hadn't been devirtualized.

**sss**

As soon as Odd had awakened and broke free, he wasted no time in attacking Therizino. To Aelita's and Yumi's surprise, Odd did not use Drain Claw on her. Instead, he pummeled her with Laser Arrows. Too many to count, they all hit her in the chest, forcing her to move back. Then Odd turned to Aelita and Yumi. He growled softly, whipping his tail from side to side. He ran in their direction.

"He is going to try to pass us!" Yumi exclaimed. "We have to stop him!"

The pair attempted to block Odd's escape route. He proved to be faster than the last time they faced him. He managed to run around Yumi and almost made it out of the exit. Aelita jumped in front of him and managed to grab onto him.

Rolling across the ground, the two fought for dominance. Aelita tried top in Odd down without resorting to attacking. She managed to get him pinned on the ground and held him there. Yumi came running over to provide assistance.

"Okay we got him...Ow!" Aelita felt Odd's long claws dig into her body.

"Aelita!" Yumi tried to pull Odd away, only to be attacked with Odd's other arm. The grip was like a vice. Neither could get away.

Therizino grabbed Odd with her jaws. She yanked him away, freeing Aelita and Yumi. She held him in the air, jaws closed around him tightly. He plunged his claws into her now. She winced for a moment before dropping him into the ground. She immediately slammed her paw into him, keeping him held down there.

She turned her head to the two girls. "You two! Come over here!" When the two hesitated, Therizino's voice filled with impatience. "Hurry up! I need you to hold Odd down for this!"

"What are you going to do?" Yumi asked suspiciously.

Therizino snarled. "Just do what I say before I change my mind and devirtualize him!"

"Come on, Yumi." Aelita rushed over.

"But Aelita..." Yumi groaned as her friend didn't listen to her. Having no choice, she joined Aelita.

Yumi held onto Odd's arms. Aelita took care of the legs. Odd struggled frantically in their grasp. It was hard holding him down. Even together, they could barely manage it. Whatever Therizino was going to do, they hoped she would do it fast. They could feel Odd begin to gain the upper hand. He would be free in just a few minutes at this rate.

Therizino moved in closer. She lifted a paw up. Purple electricity danced around it. "This should not take long..." With that, she lowered her paw down towards Odd's chest. With a quiver of the paw, a bright glow shined around Odd and her limb.

Aelita and Yumi could not bare to look at it for too long. Their eyes were hurting from the light. They turned their heads away, eyes shut tightly. Odd's eyes were closed as well, but it was hard to tell if it was from the light or from the thrashing. Therizino was unaffected. Her yellow eyes stared down at Odd as she slowly opened and closed her paw.

Odd's eyes snapped wide open. The pupils nearly disappeared. He let out a horrific scream. It sent shudders down the girls' spines and rattled both Jeremie and Ulrich, apparent from them giving a scream of their own.

A black substance was being ripped from Odd's body. It twisted and squirmed in a disgusting manner as it rose up into the air. The goo was being attracted to Therizino's sparkling paw. It wrapped around it slowly, enveloping it. As her leg was being covered with the black mass, Odd's screams increased. Therizino narrowed her eyes and pulled her limb back slightly, prompting the goo to squeeze from his form faster.

Then Therizino did a sharp yank. There was an audible gulp sound, like liquid being sucked out of something. A large glob of blackness floated just above Odd's chest. At this moment, Odd's eyes returned to normal and he stopped struggling. The black stuff absorbed into Therizino's body, accepting her as its new 'host' so to speak. The light instantly vanished. Therizino panted in exhaustion.

"What...what happened?" Odd groaned. He tried to move, but found he could not. He realized he was being held down. "Hey, what's the big idea? Let me go!"

"Odd?" Aelita asked as she let go of his legs. "Is that...you?"

"Of course it's me!" Odd said, grinning at her. "Who else is as handsome as me?"

Yumi smiled and wrapped her arms around Odd. "So glad you are okay."

Odd looked at the two girls, confused by their relieved expressions. "Did something happen?"

"You could say that." Jeremie said, sounding like he just had a lot of weight lifted from him. "We will tell you back on earth."

Getting back onto his feet, Odd was just as confused as ever. It looked like he wanted to rip his hair out. "How did I get here? Why were you pinning me down? And..." He finally saw Therizino. "What are you doing here? I thought you fell into the Digital Sea! What, does it have an upset stomach so it hurled you back up?" He said with a smirk.

Surprising everyone, especially Odd, Therizino did not make a threat back or act aggressively towards Odd. Instead, she just chuckled and said, "You know, you're not bad, cat boy." She turned to begin walking away.

Odd was a little surprised at first, but the smile never left his face. "So does this mean you are going to stop trying to kill me?"

Therizino paused and gave him a sideways glance. She did not answer. She just flashed him a smile. For the first time, it was not an evil smile, or one filled with intent on hurting him. Though her eyes were narrowed, the smile was almost...friendly. With that, she disappeared out of the cavern, leaving the warriors in peace.

After a few seconds of silence, Odd said, "What did I tell ya guys? No girl can resist my charm!"


	33. Epilogue

Although the black goo had been removed, Odd did not revert back to normal, or his version of normal, completely right away. Over the next few days, he still exhibited some cat-like behavior, like hissing. The symptoms eventually went away, little by little, much to everyone's relief.

Jeremie had to do a Return To The Past. It was the only thing he could do given how Odd had acted. Jim would likely have still sent him to the hospital and people would be acting weird around Odd. A Return To The Past was the only thing that could fix that.

Odd's reaction to the Drain Claw had diminished significantly. No longer did the feel of data being sucked into his claws give him a twisted euphoria. The monsters still sank in and crumbled, which made the other warriors just as uneasy as Odd.

Jeremie said he would work on finding a way to upgrade all their weapons to bypass the healing factor, which would allow for them to go back to shooting the XANA eye to destroy them. After that, he promised to remove Drain Claw from Odd's weaponry. Nobody complained about that.

Therizino's behavior still confused them all. They didn't know what she had to gain from helping them. And it was clear she still hated Odd. During their last mission, they were up against Therizino, and she did attack Odd. What was strange was that she was not quite as focused on killing him as she had been in the past. Something clearly changed, but they didn't know what it was.

Odd was determined to find out. He snuck out of Kadic at night. Running the supercomputer alone was not easy. In fact, the only reason he managed it was because he had written down the sequence while watching Jeremie do it. It was really confusing and he had no plans on doing this again.

He got inside the scanner and transferred himself to the Mountain Sector, where Therizino was 'born'. He knew she would be here. He began to walk through the sector, looking for her. It was a risk coming here alone. Yet Therizino's less aggressive tendencies made him feel not as afraid as before. And Drain Claw would make short work of her if she did try to kill him again.

"I see you have come alone."

Odd whipped his head around. Therizino was walking towards him, clanging her tails. He winced as the electricity sparked between the spheres. Although she was clearly enjoying unnerving him, she did not try to attack him.

Therizino tilted her head. "What brings you here?"

"I have to know something, Therizino." Odd said. "Why did you save me?"

Therizino widened her eyes before turning her head to the side. "Why are you humans so persistant to know?"

"You hate me. So why would you help me?" Odd frowned slowly. "What could you gain from it?"

Therizino looked a little uncomfortable now. She moved a few steps away from Odd. She banged her tails a little harder now. It was like she wanted to attack him, but was doing whatever she could in her power not to. This only further added to Odd's confusion.

Knowing the boy was not going to leave without an answer, Therizino growled, "If I tell you, will you and your friends stop bringing it up every time we meet?"

Odd smiled and nodded his head. "Sure. I promise! You can trust me to keep my word."

Therizino smirked briefly. She closed her eyes, reminiscing on their last major battle together, here in the Mountain Sector on the cliff side. "Do you remember when I feel into the Digital Sea?"

"Yeah?"

She opened her eyes. "I sank down, surrounded by a mass of data. I was in no danger, but it was still not a pleasant experience." She narrowed her eyes in Odd's direction. "It was still frought with danger. Not all of XANA's monsters attack only when XANA says. Some are rogues. And there's a lot more rogues in the Digital Sea than there is up on Lyoko."

"Why?" Odd asked.

"I don't know!" Therizino snapped at him. She exhaled deeply. "Can I continue, cat boy?"

"Sure, go ahead." Odd was annoyed she snapped like that, but said nothing else.

"Thank you." The sarcasm in her voice as she said that was practically dripping. "Anyway, as I was in the Digital Sea, slowly recovering from the blow you and your friends dealt to me, something...came to me. Fused with me, and became a part of me. I..didn't know what it was at first. It changed how I felt. It gave me...empathy I think is what you humans call it." She lowered her head and took a step towards Odd. "It took me a long while to figure out what it was."

"What was it?" Odd was curious.

"Another piece of my human mind." Therizino explained, putting her paw to her chest. "You see, this particular piece was special. It was something that most people have. It was the lack of this piece that caused my relentless hunt of you the last time we met. It was..." She got a little closer to him, staring at him with her left golden eye. "..my morality."

Odd was stunned by this. "You...another piece...?" He wasn't sure how to say it. He thought XANA lost most of the data he took from the girl's brain.

Therizino shook her head slowly. "Do not think this changes anything between us. You and I are still enemies. That will not change. I still hate you for what you did to me. And I will kill you for it." Odd winced at this. Therizino's expression softened up just a tad. "However, since regaining my morality, I can promise you this. I will not be torturing you the way I had in the past. From now on, you and I will be fighting on fair terms. Sound like a deal?"

Odd managed to smile. "Yeah, sounds fair to me. Just don't think you'll win." He said in a cocky tone of voice.

Therizino couldn't help but smile herself. "You are something, you know that, Odd?" She sensed something and raised her head. "I better get going. And you should head back to your friends. We will run into each other again soon enough."

Odd nodded. "Yeah. It's getting late anyway." He got up to walk away.

"Oh and Odd?"

Odd stopped and looked over his shoulder. "What?"

"Fight to your fullest capacity."

Odd grinned arrogantly. "Don't worry, I plan to!"

Therizino narrowed her eyes and smiled almost viciously. "Perfect. I will see you soon, my enemy."

**sss**

Author's Note: And that wraps that up. This story is complete. I thought about writing a third one, but at the moment, I have no idea for a plot. If I think of something, I'll begin writing the third story, turning this into a trilogy.


End file.
